Lee Thorn

[Hank]

Did Mr. Thorn annoy anyone else? The capper for me was at the end when Jesse was talking about when Paul reached out to invite him on, and Lee flipped out. Then Jesse said he came to the conclusion that it was Lee's PTSD. I feel bad for Jesse -- he must be a saint dealing with Lee. Walking around on eggshells hoping his father won't flip out. That interview with Lee Thorn made me angry.

[next year]

He didn't bug me - maybe it didn't bug me because my dad was a big crabass when I was a kid. Now he's retired he's mr. easygoing. My sister asked my mom if she feels like 'where ya been all my life?' Or maybe your dad was crabbier than mine and that's why it bugged you?

I thought he was pretty open and I think it must be a pretty difficult thing for a vet to talk about their experiences in a public forum. He struck me as someone who genuinely wants to help others. It gave me some insight into my pastor who's a Vietnam vet and also suffers from PTSD, among other things. He's not the most nurturing guy sometimes, but his heart's in the right place.

And I love Jesse Thorn, think he's an awesome guy! I would have liked to hear more from him, and I thought it was very sweet that he came on the show with his dad.

[Hank]

Next Year - you nailed me. My stepfather was and still is a total f--king a--hole. No PTSD in his life. He is a functioning alcoholic. Verbally abusive to his immediately family, but nice to strangers. I always used to get "I don't understand what you are saying - he seems really nice." so Lee definitely brought up some if my issues. Definitely no where near seeing a body cut in half or friends getting hurt on the battlefield, but going through my childhood where there here few - and by few I mean almost no - good memories; only fear, apprehension and the feeling of " oh no, what's going to happen next", definitely caused me many years of feeling shell shocked. Might sound stupid to say and I don't mean to minimize any of our soldier's experiences, but I feel like I've been through a war from 1977-2003. There was no peace treaty and although no more battles, there is a non-recognition of each "state" - and I feel like I've survived a war and am trying to live my life and not let the wounds I've suffered affect my life. Trying to check myself when my behavior starts to trad on the territory I was brought up in. Does anyone else feel this?

PS I apologize to Lee for my gut, not well thought out reaction to his spot on Paul's show.

[Paul Gilmartin]

Hank,
thanks for your honesty. I think a childhood of walking on eggshells is every bit as damaging as other formers of childhood trauma. It makes it hard to relax and trust. People visiting my house used to always ask me, "Why is your dad mad at me?" I tried to tell them that he's not mad, he's just not a happy person. Always overly-serious and stuck in his head. But kids think they're the ones to blame and that imbeds a lot of negative core messages into us. Glad you could see that Lee was touching a nerve with you. I think just recognizing something is happening with us is the first and most important step to recovery. Thanks for participating in the forum.

Paul

[julie007]

I listened to this one twice. I really admire Mr. Thorn for taking responsibility and facing his PTSD. The story he told about the woman who had been bombed in the war then saying he was her son now...wow. Powerful stuff. I loved that he said that experience changed his chemistry and taught him about compassion. I really appreciated hearing what his flashbacks were like. It's amazing what the mind can do. I was even envious when Jesse said his dad will apologize when he over reacts and that his dad takes responsibility for his behavior. My dad would explode out of the blue but he would never take responsibility or apologize. It makes a HUGE difference.

Jesse's love and admiration for his dad was so sweet. I really appreciated hearing both of them.

I recently got another fascinating glimpse into a soldier's experience of war and PTSD from reading "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand. OMG, what a page turner. True story of Louis Zamperini who was an Olympic runner in Berlin in 1936, then was a bombardier in WW2 and ended up being tortured in several Japanese POW camps. He went through flashbacks, nightmares, alcoholism and nearly destroyed himself after the war. Amazing man, like Mr. Thorn.