Soldier's Remarkable Recovery from PTSD Offers Hope for Those Still Suffering
Follow a young man's journey into hell and his transformation to a battle-hardened hunter of human beings in Vietnam. David W. Powell's combat experiences would sunder his family and almost cost his life. Even more remarkable, his recovery holds the promise of redemption for a generation now at war in the Middle East.
Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) July 10, 2006
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, Powell never thought all they would see on his resume was his Karate expertise. This began his tour where 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, while equally certain of his own demise.
“My Tour in Hell: A Marine’s Battle with Combat Trauma” (ISBN 1932690220) is Powell’s honest and disturbing account of war and his downward spiral as a battle-hardened combat veteran. It would be more than a decade after his return that doctors even had a word to describe this unpredictable and horrific syndrome: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. With riveting detail, Powell takes us on a journey through his traumatic experiences and explains what happens when PTSD goes untreated.
Returning to civilian life, he was consumed with nightmares, highly intrusive thoughts, an inability to control emotions and was in a constant hyper-vigilant state. He found it impossible to hold a job, or be in a relationship. Bankrupt, alcoholic, and bitter, Powell admits he was, “a frightening man to be around.” Remarkably, he is still a highly patriotic war veteran, and wonders about the alarmingly high rate of mental health problems among troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With his clear message of hope to other veterans that may still be suffering, and to family members that are struggling to understand, “My Tour in Hell” is clearly optimistic. Powell eludes confidence that veterans can and will get better and go on to live great, productive lives. In 1989, Powell eventually recovered from his PTSD through a powerful, yet highly successful technique known as Traumatic Incident Reduction and continues to be a pioneer of hope and revolutionary voice in the field of trauma recovery.
David W. Powell is currently retired in Tucson, Arizona with his wife, Susan. He enjoys writing, cooking, and Karate. His book has been nominated for the 2007 Charles E. Shelton Award for unique literary achievement, which honors perhaps the nation’s most famous and bravest Prisoner of War. “My Tour in Hell” (ISBN 1932690220) can be purchased at bookstores and is distributed by Ingram Book Group. For more information, visit http://www. lovinghealing. com/MyTourInHell/ (http://www. lovinghealing. com/MyTourInHell/)
###
