FIREWORKS: Be courteous to veterans with PTSD
Army Veteran Kerry Miller posts a sign in his front yard notifying neighbors to be considerate with their fireworks in Hooper on Tuesday, June, 30, 2015. Miller, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his year service in Iraq said that if he knows about the fireworks going off it is not a problem. It is the unexpected ones that can trigger the post-traumatic stress, he said.
Army Veteran Kerry Miller posts a sign in his front yard notifying neighbors to be considerate with their fireworks in Hooper on Tuesday, June, 30, 2015. Miller, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his year service in Iraq said that if he knows about the fireworks going off it is not a problem. It is the unexpected ones that can trigger the post-traumatic stress he said
Army Veteran Kerry Miller's photograph taken with his two daughters before he was deployed to Iraq hangs in his living room in Hooper on Tuesday, June, 30, 2015. Miller, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his year service in Iraq said that if he knows about the fireworks going off it is not a problem. It is the unexpected ones that can trigger the post-traumatic stress he said
Army Veteran Kerry Miller's house is decorated with patriotic decorations in Hooper on Tuesday, June, 30, 2015. Miller, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his year service in Iraq said that if he knows about the fireworks going off it is not a problem. It is the unexpected ones that can trigger the post-traumatic stress, he said.
OGDEN — The booms and crackles that will be heard this Fourth of July are a thrill for many Americans, but for combat veterans suffering from PTSD, those sounds can be more like a nightmare.
As Independence Day approaches and fireworks begin to light the skies and shake the ground, veterans and veterans organizations from here in Utah, as well as all over the nation, are trying to get the word out: be considerate of current or former military personnel with Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD, about 11 to 20 percent of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom have PTSD. About 12 percent of Gulf War Veterans suffer from PTSD.
The center says about 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans were diagnosed with PTSD at the time of the most recent study in the late 1980s, but it’s now estimated that about 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD at some point in their lifetime.
According to the Mayo Clinic, PTSD symptoms are usually grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, or changes in emotional reactions. Fireworks, along with other loud, sudden sounds can serve as a sudden and realistic reminder of trauma, causing a PTSD-inflicted veteran’s blood pressure to rise and their “fight or flight” instincts to kick in.
Dr. Aaron Ahern, a psychologist at the VA hospital in Salt Lake City, said reactions to fireworks among combat vets with PTSD can range from a simple case of “stress and anxiety” to “flashbacks that can make a veteran feel like they are being attacked.”
“It triggers what they call ‘hyper-vigilance,'” said Hooper resident and Army veteran Kerry Miller. “It’s hard to explain it if you haven’t experienced it, but the sounds (of fireworks) can put you in an awful place. Especially if you aren’t ready for it.”
Miller served in the Army for 31 years and last served in combat in Iraq, from 2008-2009. He says for the past several years, much of his Fourth of July has been spent inside.
“A lot of vets, like myself, just want to hide out on July Fourth,” Miller said, adding that it’s the unexpected fireworks that bother him the most.
“When they are unplanned and you hear them when you’re really not expecting to, that can be a problem,” he said. “If you know when and where they are going to go off, you can prepare yourself.”
This year Miller plans to install a sign in his front yard that reads “Combat Veteran Lives Here: Please Be Courteous With Fireworks.”
The signs are made by an non-profit organization based in Indiana called “Military with PTSD,” created by Shawn J. Gourley in August 2010. The signs can be obtained for free at www.militarywithptsd.org/product/veteran-firework-sign/.
“It’s just kind of a little reminder,” Miller said. “In no way am I suggesting that people stop fireworks. I fought for this country for 31 years so people could have the right to celebrate our independence, but I think a reminder to show some courtesy is a good idea.”
Ahern said Miller’s assertion that it’s the “unexpected fireworks” that cause the most damage should be taken into account by amateur pyrotechnicians. He said if people follow state fireworks law and discharge them at appropriate times, most PTSD-side effects can be managed or avoided.
“There are a lot of things people can do to help (PTSD veterans),” he said. “Like, if it’s possible, set them off in a large or public space. But it’s really just common sense things, following the law, doing it at a reasonable hour.”
State law allows for fireworks to be discharged from July 1-7, and again from July 21-27. The hours to discharge fireworks within cities is from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with an extension to midnight on July Fourth and July 24 (Pioneer Day). Several cities have issued restrictions on where the fireworks can be set off.
Ahern said veterans with PTSD should follow their specific treatment regimens to prepare for the upcoming holidays.
“What someone should do depends on where they are in their treatment,” he said. “But in general, they should do what they can to mentally prepare and they shouldn’t be afraid to let people around them know what they suffer from. But a lot of times, that’s still not enough. These reactions much more visceral than cognitive.”
Charlie Chandler, Weber State University’s coordinator for Veterans Services, said it might be a good idea for fireworks stands to hand out flyers similar to the sign Miller will put in his yard.
“I think it’s all about people being considerate — on both sides,” he said. “A lot of people love fireworks, and they should, but realize those sounds are a lot different to a guy who heard those pops as mortar rounds or grenades.”
Contact reporter Mitch Shaw at 801-625-4233 or mishaw@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @mitchshaw23.
