“If the experience hurts so badly, shouldn’t the soldiers be able to talk about it to seek help?”

Soldiers come back from times of war with experiences that nobody can even begin to comprehend. The things that they have seen and gone through in a few years are more than an average person is exposed to in their entire life. Trauma and PTSD are very serious problems that veterans are forced to live with. We see in All Quiet On The Western Front that Paul’s father wants to hear about his time at war. Paul goes on to tell us that, “A man cannot talk of such things.” The memories are too painful to relive in full detail, and the others wouldn’t understand what he is going through. Paul is forced to bear this burden alone, and this is true for many other war veterans. If their experiences hurt so badly, shouldn’t the soldiers be able to talk about it to seek help? There should be people listening and acting in order to help them. In the United States alone, it is estimated that 22 veterans commit suicide each day. These people fought so hard to protect our freedom and watched as their brothers died for that same cause. They are struggling in their day to day life, and since they cannot talk about it they feel alone. People need to give them proper help and allow them to heal from the traumatizing experiences, and assist them as they struggle to find a way to re enter civilian life.