Powell My Tour in Hell

A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma
1. Auflage 2006
ISBN: 978-1-61599-917-0
Verlag: Modern History Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 208 Seiten

Reihe: Reflections of History

David W. Powell enlisted for a tour of duty in April 1966 with the US Marines after receiving an imminent draft notice. Believing he would be able to leverage his existing skills as a computer programmer, he never thought all they would see on his resume was his Karate expertise. Even less that he would wind up serving as a Rocket man in the jungles of Da Nang and Chu Lai for a 13 month tour in hell.

David's journey from naive civilian to battle-hardened combat veteran shows us all how fragile our humanity really is. In addition to killing the enemy on the field of battle, he was witness to countless cruelties including murder both cold-blooded and casual, cowardice under fire, and a callous disregard for life beyond most people's imagination. With each new insult, he lost a little bit of his soul, clinging to his Bible as his only solace while equally certain of his own imminent demise.

Upon returning to civilian life after a two year enlistment, he found himself with nightmares during sleep, intrusive thoughts while awake, a hypervigilant stance combined with an exaggerated startle reaction, and a seeming inability to control basic emotions like anger and sadness.

The price he paid for what would only be diagnosed decades later as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was broken marriages and relationships, inability to hold down jobs leading to bankruptcy, alcohol abuse, and having to hide the service he willingly gave to his own country.

In 1989, David eventually recovered through a simple but powerful technique known as Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) and is now symptom-free. Not just for veterans, TIR has since been successfully applied to crime and motor vehicle accident victims, domestic violence survivors, and even children. His story shows what is possible for anyone who has suffered traumatic stress and that hope, healing, and recovery can be theirs too.

What People Are Saying About My Tour In Hell

'His autobiographical work is a must read for veterans who remain stuck between two worlds. Healing is not forgetting; healing is making sense of the past in order to live life in the present with a restored hope for the future. Powell articulates this process very well and has given a tremendous gift to the combat veteran community of any generation.'
- Father Philip G. Salois, M.S., National Chaplain, Vietnam Veterans of America

'The connection of David's problems in his current life and his Viet Nam experiences is one of the clearest descriptions of how trauma affects our lives I have ever read. My Tour in Hell is a tribute to David's unwillingness to give up on himself in the face of great unhappiness.'
-Laura W. Groshong, LICSW (Seattle, WA)

'Years in combat zones, group psychotherapy with combat vets diagnosed with PTSD and TIR training qualifies me to recommend this book. My Tour in Hell attests to David's journey from the boundary of a Marine grunt's PTSD despair to the horizon of integration, risk, and new meaning. Those in the helping professions will learn how the negative emotional 'charge' of trauma can be partially or totally eliminated through the adept facilitation of Traumatic Incident Reduction.'
-Sister Kateri Koverman, LISW, ICDC

More Than A Memoir, My Tour In Hell includes

Photos taken by David's own camera during his Vietnam tour

Study guide for clinical students

FAQ from the National Center for PTSD

Suggested Reading list

Autoren/Hrsg.

Powell, David W.

Leseproben

What People Are Saying about My Tour in Hell

“Powell describes his tour in Vietnam with the Marines in great detail which sets the stage for his personal journey home with all the painful memories and problems that surface with someone who has gone to hell and come back to tell about it.

“His autobiographical work is a must read for veterans who remain stuck between two worlds—the physical reality of civilian life while the psychological, emotional and spiritual life remain on the battlefield half a world away. Healing is painful but so necessary to reintegrate those two worlds into one. Healing is not forgetting; healing is making sense of the past in order to live life in the present with a restored hope for the future. Powell articulates this process very well and has given a tremendous gift to the combat veteran community of any generation.”

Father Philip G. Salois, M.S.

Founder, International Conference of War Veteran Ministers

(formerly the National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers)

National Chaplain, Vietnam Veterans of America

“The connection of David's problems in his current life and his Viet Nam experiences is one of the clearest descriptions of how trauma affects our lives I have ever read. My Tour in Hell is a tribute to David's unwillingness to give up on himself in the face of great unhappiness.”

     —Laura W. Groshong, LICSW (Seattle, WA)

“Years in combat zones, group psychotherapy with combat vets diagnosed with PTSD and TIR training qualifies me to recommend this book. My Tour in Hell attests to David's journey from the boundary of a Marine grunt's PTSD despair to the horizon of integration, risk, and new meaning. Those in the helping professions will learn how the negative emotional ‘charge’ of trauma can be partially or totally eliminated through the adept facilitation of Traumatic Incident Reduction.”

—Sister Kateri Koverman, LISW, ICDC

“Powell presents a brutally honest and riveting account of one man's descent into the dehumanizing realities of war. However, the journey is worth it to relive his dramatic ascension and redemption from the abyss through the life changing, powerful, and therapeutic techniques of Traumatic Incident Reduction.”

— Rev. James W. Clifton, LCSW, PhD

“Powell begins and ends with hope, and with a method that helped him to finally, and fully, resolve the many traumas he endured. He gives the reader a litany of incidents of trauma, and shows how the whole context of the battlefields, surrounding regions, and finally even home comes under the cloud of a hell many men and women shared with him, a hell that is being created many thousands of times in modern times. The book deserves to be read by therapists, veterans, and their loved ones.”

—Rene Ely, M.Div., LMFT

“My Tour in Hell is an insightful insider's view of the traumatic events that occurred during the Vietnam War and the devastating after-effects that can follow. For those not familiar with the symptoms of PTSD, this was a vivid and clear view of how this disorder disrupts the lives of those who suffer from it untreated. Definitely a valuable read for anyone who works with this population or who have family or friends who are struggling with PTSD.”

—Kirsten Krohn, MFT

“Not every ex-soldier suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The ones who do are the sensitive, caring people exposed to the brutalizing conditions of war. David Powell is one of these people, as becomes obvious to the reader of his book.

With young men and women currently exposed to danger in the Middle East, this veteran's story is relevant to today. With utter honesty and integrity, he shows the terrible effects of war. However, his story ends on a high note, because Traumatic Incident Reduction has finally allowed him to cope with the consequences.”

     —Robert Rich, MSc, PhD, M.A.P.S., A.A.S.H.

“David Powell's book held my interest throughout the entire read. As a therapist working with US military, I was particularly intrigued by the therapeutic technique utilized and would love to have the opportunity for training. I was most impressed that the author did not present himself as totally recovered, but as functionally recovered with a new quality of life. I will definitely use the book with soldiers and family members.”

—Sally Wright, LMFT (Baumholder, Germany)

“This book provides a first-person account of how combat trauma evolves and is a testament to the power of Traumatic Incident Reduction. My Tour in Hell is an invaluable resource for working with combat trauma survivors.”

—Judy Bronson, PhD, NCC

“David's story demonstrating how possible it is for anyone who has suffered traumatic stress to have healing and recovery vis-à-vis Traumatic Incident Reduction. We plan to start an ‘Adopt a Veteran’ program so any Vet who wants a copy of your book can have same.”

     —Mary Murphy, MA, NHA, Former VA and Prison Chaplain

“My Tour In Hell is a riveting account of unimaginable pain, suffering, and healing. David Powell takes the reader step by step through his painful metamorphosis from a young, idealistic recruit to an uncaring, angry trauma survivor, and finally to an inspiring, compassionate crusader. His message is one of hope and healing. Through the use of Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), David is able to process and release the toxic memories of his tour in Vietnam. His story will challenge the belief that people cannot heal from horrific circumstances. TIR provides a gentle methodology for confronting traumatic images and then releasing them, enabling the user to move the memories into the past. One only wishes that he had encountered this treatment modality much earlier in life, before suffering through the many years of broken relationships, lost jobs, and substance abuse.”

—Patricia Sherman, Ph.D., LCSW www.HealingIsPossible.com

“I picked up this book one night and couldn't let go of it until 3:00AM. I served in the Israeli Defense Force and it brought back so many memories! This book offers one of the best, most intimate descriptions of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that I have ever read precisely because the author is a fellow sufferer, not a smug psychiatrist or theoretician. His style of prose—direct, matter-of-fact, and unflinchingly honest—also helps. Above all, this book is about hope. There are glimpses of humanity amidst the worst atrocities and there are effective therapies to coax the victims of war back into peace and life. It worked for the author who has endured decades of trauma-induced ruination and instability in everything from marriage to business. If he was salvaged, so can us all.”

—Sam Vaknin, PhD, author of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited

“My Tour in Hell is a wrenching book to read as the author bares his soul, revealing the gruesome details of his combat experiences and the personal aftermath as he struggled for decades to deal with the PTSD blighting his life. His final recovery through innovative therapy is a triumph and a new beginning. Read it to better understand the Vietnam Vet and the little support they got after their tour in Hell.”

—Chuck Chriss, www.Olive-Drab.com

“My Tour in Hell is the first book in The Reflections of History Series. It is a very powerfully written autobiography by David W. Powell about his horrific experiences while serving in Vietnam and how his life drastically changed upon his return to the states. The horrors that Powell had to endure while in Vietnam caused him to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a result of this disorder, he is unable to maintain steady employment, healthy relationships, and he has difficulties with his emotions. The disorder also affects his ability to sleep, and keeps him stuck in a hypervigilant state.

“I highly recommend this book for people who are either experiencing PTSD or are close to someone that has it. I think that Rehabilitation Counselors who work with military veterans would also benefit from reading this because it will give them a greater understanding of what these veterans have gone through. War Veterans would also gain something from reading this book because they will find that they are not alone in dealing with the trauma created by their experiences.

“I asked a disabled Marine Vet if I should share this book with my nephew while he is in Iraq. I wasn't sure if it would be too much for him to read while he is involved in combat. The Marine felt that it would be good for him because it talks about the problems and symptoms that he might experience and most importantly how to deal with them. My Tour in Hell shows that there is hope for people that are experiencing PTSD.”

—Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (5/06)

“This book could be helpful for some Vietnam vets that I saw in an earlier work setting. The book is well-suited to the audience of is folks struggling with combat-related PTSD. Powell is succinct, sometimes blunt in his writing. This is not great flowery prose, but it is not intended to be either. We certainly have a political environment that is averse to...