SAD DAKOTA MEYER

When I saw the 60 Minutes segment on Dakota Meyer, I was really moved. It wasn’t that he risked his life for his comrades, his brothers. It wasn’t that air support had not come. And it wasn’t that his comrades died.

No. It was that Dakota Meyer likely has Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. This condition

occurs in many people who have been significantly traumatized or witnessed trauma to

others. There is a long list of additional symptoms that have to be met in order to make the diagnosis. I’ll never be able to go through this list with him, but I have an inkling he would have enough of them to qualify for the diagnosis.

Mind you, Dakota Meyer will likely suffer with his symptoms. He is far from a complainer.

He, like so many soldiers from so many wars will simply endure the suffering, often for the rest of his life. He’ll have the nightmares, awakening sweating or screaming or both. He’ll live with it, for he is a true warrior.

How to I surmise he has this condition? Well, he shifted blame for the indicent. He shifted emotions, too. These two aspects of this condition are not on the list of diagnostic criteria. However, when one sees enough patients with this condition, the other symptoms become clear.

Instead of anger and blame at the military for not sending in air support, i.e. instead of externalizing his emotion, he internalizes it–he blames himself. He said it in words, and his face said it, too. Instead of feeling angry at the military or pride in his recognition, he felt guilty, a failure, for not saving his comrades.

Maybe a wealthy businessman will give him a job. If so, he’ll be repaid a thousandfold, for Dakota Meyer will likely give back much more than he receives in salary, all without tooting his own horn.

Basically, Dakota Meyer has the right stuff, and it is a tragedy that he’ll likely suffer for it for a long time.