Friday’s in class session with Joshua LaViolette was a very insightful and eye-opening experience. He is a US navy veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan for 8 years and now teaches at Loyola. Being able to hear and talk to him about his own life experiences during the war was very interesting. Listening to his stories and encounters opened my eyes to many things I was not aware of. He spoke about what his job was and how he was in charge of any medical procedures within the military camp. He noted that a lot of soldiers do suffer from PTSD after the war, even though in his case, it wasn’t that intense. He told us about the time he experienced PTSD, he was in the supermarket and heard a spraying sound and fell to the ground thinking it was a chopper or something in the air. He made a joke about this and several other things giving off a more positive vibe instead of all the negative scenarios you hear about from war. The soldiers were very limited when it came to communicating with the outer world so they became very close to each other, creating a tight brotherhood which continues to exist even after the war. He also said he met great people out there and he still keeps in contact with them. One thing he kept mentioning was the fact that he was very young when he began to serve, around 18 years old, he had just got out go high school and had zero experience and knowledge of the war. His lack of education affected the way he viewed and communicated with the civilians. Joking that he would not have acted the same way if he had known better. Overall, his talk gave me a different perspective on war and gave me a more positive outlook on war.
I agree with you that Mr. LaViolette's account of his military experience was different than all of the stories we have been studying. He did not have very many negative stories to tell and instead focused on the camaraderie and playful times he and his fellow soldiers shared together. It was refreshing to get a different outlook on war and although he did not necessarily say he had the time of his life, he did not bash or complain about his experiences. It brought a more positive vibe to the classroom instead of the normal somberness.
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