Comedy, military, ptsd, Uncategorized, Writing

Funny War Memoirs: The Importance of Humor When Telling A True War Story

War stories continue to capture the attention of today’s generation. Stories of how veterans survived each encounter they had with the enemy, how they managed to live with the limited supplies that they had, how they met and made friends not only with their comrades but also with the locals of the place where they were deployed, and how they learned more about appreciating life through their near-death experiences continue to become fascinating windows to the past and current events.

[pullquote]”Humor is a powerful and indispensable tool in keeping one’s sanity intact in the face of death and destruction.”[/pullquote]Your grandparents or any relative who had been deployed to war may have told their war story differently. You may notice that every time your grandfather tells his story, it would be filled with details of the places he has been in, the people he has encountered, the sensations of terror and waiting for death which would scare the living hell out of anyone. Sometimes, your veteran relative would focus on his achievements in the war, such as how he managed to lead his troop into enemy camp and capture it, how he killed men, and how he was considered a hero.

It may be an attempt to recall what had happened, it may have been altered to favor the storyteller’s image as a war hero, but the common theme surrounding the telling of war stories is the use of humor — its use of jokes, of anecdotes, of words which are meant to make people feel the impact of the events in the story.

Why is humor used by war veterans to tell their war stories? Being that what they are telling is their experiences in gruesome battle, which may have been traumatizing to thousands and even millions of people at the time, what would be the reason why humor would be needed to retell these tales?

War is painful. Not only does it injure people physically, imprinting lifelong marks on the skin of soldiers and civilians, but it is also emotionally and mentally stressful to the mind and spirit. Many have gone mad just by serving in the war for a few months. Civilians who have witnessed the horrors of war experienced being in the middle of conflict and being unable to do anything about it, except just to hope that they are not killed with the guns and the bombs that are going off everywhere. If explosives are not going off, people think of how to survive with limited supplies. Of course, soldiers are usually provided with food and shelter by their government in order to survive, but in the end they would still need to use their own creativity and wits just to make it through every day without starving, going mad, or becoming thoroughly exhausted.

Being in a war is one of the most painful experiences that a person can go through in life. It changes you and makes you more aware of the horrors that lie in the world. If people continue to wallow in the pain and suffering that comes with being in a war, it would be difficult to find the courage to get up from bed every day without your conscience being bothered.

Humor is a survival tool in this instance. It helps war veterans deal with the horrors and the stresses of war, and helps make it easy to retell their war experiences. Humor acts as a pain reliever which helps veterans and civilians (who can also be considered as war veterans in their own right) keep positivity in their lives, thus encouraging them to continue living their life to the fullest.

Humor is a powerful and indispensable tool in keeping one’s sanity intact in the face of death and destruction.

Just because people have gone to war and experienced it firsthand does not mean that simply being happy is something that they should be guilty about. There is no need for anyone to wallow in the miseries of war and destruction. Even in the darkest moments, people can still laugh, see the bright side of life, continue to hope, and appreciate what life has to offer.

Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir

In this dark humored War Memoir, Iraq veteran Michael Anthony discusses his return from war and how he defeated his PTSD. Civilianized is a must read for any veteran, or anyone who knows a veteran, who has returned from war and suffered through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

dark humored military memoir“An intense memoir.” -Kirkus

“I wont soon forget this book.” -Mary Roach

“A must read.” -Colby Buzzell

“[S]mart and mordantly funny.” –Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Anthony delivers a dose of reality that can awaken the mind…” Bookreporter

Order your copy of Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir .

Blogishness, Blogishness, Comedy

The New Impractical Jokers Card Game – Play at the bar with friends! (Pics included)

impractical jokers card gameThe show Impractical Jokers is one of the funniest things on TV right now. In case you’re not familiar, it’s a reality series where four friends Joseph “Joe” Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Salvatore “Sal” Vulcano challenge each other to complete ridiculous pranks (which are, of course, filmed by hidden cameras).

It might not sound like much, but it’s a hilarious show. Trust me, try out a few episodes–it’s one of those shows where you need two or three before you get into it (that’s how it was explained to me and I fully agree; when I saw my first episode I was like “Yeah, this is okay,” but by episodes three and four I was hooked!)

Anyway, here’s why I’m writing about the Impractical Jokers today: Whenever I watch the show, part of the fun is imagining myself and my friends in similar situations and pulling similar pranks. This got me thinking, and as I result I invented: The Impractical Jokers Card Game!

Here’s the front of the cards:impractical jokers card game

There are two sets of cards:  Challenge Cards and Punishment Cards (samples below).

How to play: You and a group of friends go to a bar (or some other public venue) and each person draws a challenge card. [The challenge cards are all based on challenges that the Jokers have done on their TV show; I tried to choose simple challenges, that the casual fan would have fun with and be able to accomplish while at a bar with friends. (Also included are Joker VS Joker Challenge Cards and Jokers Wild Cards–where your friends choose your challenge!)]impractical jokers card game joe gattoimpractical jokers card game james murr murrayimpractical jokers card game brian quinn

impractical jokers new card game sal vulcanoAfter each participant either completes or fails their challenge, all losers will then draw a punishment card (other option is that you continue with the challenge cards until there is only one loser).

impractical jokers card game jaden smithThe punishment cards also have a different back than the challenge cards (so they can easily be told apart).

impractical jokers new card game punishment cards

The punishments are nothing like they are on the show. They’re more simple, buy a round of beers or appetizers for your friends, automatic designated driver next time you all go out, give your friends your phone and let them post a Facebook update for you, etc.

Now, here’s the deal. This is a supper fun game, I’ve played it with friends, but I’m not here to sell you the game. What I need though is your help in contacting the Jokers and convincing them to create an official Impractical Jokers Card Game. It’s hard coming up with challenges and punishments and I think we need the Jokers to add their magic touch and create a fun game that all us Impractical Jokers fans can take with us to the bar with friends.

If you want to help, just link the idea/images to the Jokers on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, etc. Maybe it catches on, maybe it doesn’t. Just a fun idea I had and wanted to see if there was any traction.

Thanks guys!

Comedy

How can I tell if my joke is original?

Some of you may already know this about me, but for those of who don’t, a while back I gave stand-up-comedy a shot. It was an intense experience! Standing in front of a crowd, with only five minutes to win them over, it was one hell of a ride. In the end though, it turned out that stand-up-comedy wasn’t for me. It was a fun experiment, and I got to make some fun videos and meet some interesting people, but it turned out that I enjoyed writing jokes more than I did performing them.

In the writing of jokes though, there’s something that’s bothered me for years. Sometimes a joke pops into my head. It’s brilliant. It’s genius. The funniest thing I ever came up with. But is it really my joke? Did I come up with it? Or am I just remembering, or paraphrasing, a joke I heard a few weeks ago, or even months ago?

I know I’m not the only one with this problem, but over the year’s whenever I’ve consulted Dr. Google to find out if my joke is original or not, I’ve gotten little help in being able to discover if it is indeed an original joke.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas on ways to figure it out?

Comedy, ptsd, Uncategorized

How Spouses Can Help Their Veteran with PTSD

soldier with ptsd looking in the mirror

There are dozens of rumors circulating around veterans that suffer from PTSD but it is commonly known that you will never truly understand their symptoms until you’re living with a sufferer. Helping your spouse who is dealing with PTSD can be one of the most fulfilling things in both of your lives and it can help to strengthen your marital bond more than ever before. Below are some tips that you can use to your advantage to help your veteran deal with this debilitating mental condition until they are able to receive professional help.

How PTSD Affects Relationships

When your veteran comes home, you may notice that they are exhibiting telltale signs of PTSD. These symptoms can be responsible for a variety of issues in your relationship including: loss of trust, loss of closeness, inability to communicate, and issues with problem solving. They will act differently around you and patterns may develop that could harm your entire relationship.

Providing Social Support

Making sure that veterans with PTSD have the social support that they need is essential to make sure that they are able to work through their symptoms of the illness. The more meaningful relationships that they have, the higher their self-esteem will be which will make them more likely to seek professional help. You may also find that your veteran will begin helping others which can help to reduce their personal feelings of failure. Making sure that you’re there for them at the end of every day is also essential for eliminating any stress.

Seeking Professional Help

It is important that you take the necessary steps to make sure that your spouse gets the professional attention that they need. Even if you have begun to see positive signs of their behavior changing, a professional evaluation is invaluable. You should work together to find a professional therapist in your area that specializes with PTSD to help your spouse know that they are in good hands. You may also want to consider finding a therapist that works with couples and families as it is a mental disease that affects everyone around the survivor.

The therapist that you work with may suggest a variety of treatments including:

  • Group Therapy
  • Stress and Anger Management
  • Couples Counseling
  • Family Therapy
  • Assertiveness Training
  • Family Education Classes

Making sure that your family is prepared for the long journey ahead of you and your spouse is essential for ensuring that they can easily assimilate back into civilization.

Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir

In this dark humored War Memoir, Iraq veteran Michael Anthony discusses his return from war and how he defeated his PTSD. Civilianized is a must read for any veteran, or anyone who knows a veteran, who has returned from war and suffered through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

dark humored military memoir“An intense memoir.” -Kirkus

“I wont soon forget this book.” -Mary Roach

“A must read.” -Colby Buzzell

“[S]mart and mordantly funny.” –Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Anthony delivers a dose of reality that can awaken the mind…” Bookreporter

Order your copy of Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir .

Picture: Flickr: Peter Murphy

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness, Comedy, ptsd, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Uncategorized

PTSD: What to Do When Your Spouse has PTSD (Updated Version)- Best Ways to Treat PTSD

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of comments, and emails, about my blog post: PTSD What to do When Your Spouse has PTSD. There are a lot of resources out there to help our loved ones with PTSD, but some things have changed since I originally wrote the article, and the article wasn’t as in-depth and helpful as it should’ve been, so an updated version is in order.  (Also, since all of the comments and emails I’ve received have been related to PTSD for military personnel, this article will be in reference only to treatment of PTSD for active duty or prior service military personnel—although, I’m sure, it can apply to the populace in the civilian world also suffering with PTSD.)

  • First, and foremost, the primary point of contact for any vet suffering from PTSD should by their local VA.  The staff at the VA are trained to handle veterans with PTSD, and what’s great about seeking therapy or counseling from the VA, rather than a private organization, is that the VA employs a lot of prior service military personnel as their counselors and therapists.  And 100% of the time I hear from other vets, and in my own experience, that it’s always easier to talk to another vet whose “been there” and “done that,” rather than some random therapist or counselor who has no idea.
    • Also, the VA has special services for the spouses and family members of military personnel, so a wife, or husband, or children, can seek their own counseling as well.

With that said, I’ve also heard from a lot of vets that the services offered at the VA are severely lacking and not helpful.  So it may work for some, but not for others.

Sometimes for vets, who are used to a certain tempo of physicality, and who aren’t used to sharing their feelings, it can be too odd and unwelcoming to have to sit down and suddenly talk about their feelings.  The good news is that there are a lot of other options, and a lot of them are shown to work better than typical therapy.

  • Neurofeedback.  A lot of people aren’t familiar with neurofeedback but the military has been pouring millions of dollars into neurofeedback programs that can help veterans with PTSD—and there are places all across the U.S. that offer it free to veterans.
    • What is Neurofeedback?
      • Basically, a bunch of doctor’s hook up sensors to a person’s scalp and the sensors read the person’s brain activity.  They then hook the sensors up to a computer program and somehow, through the sensors and the computer program, a person’s brain can actually be rewired.
  • I’ve actually done neurofeedback before and it can actually be a fun type of therapy.  Basically it’s like playing a video game, but instead of having a controller in your hands, your brain controls the movements on screen, and the program trains your brain to act in a certain way and thus rewires the parts of the brain affected by PTSD.  EVERY veteran I know who’s used the program has been pleased with the results.  And best of all, it’s not like therapy AT ALL, you literally play videogames with your mind—yes, I’m serious!—and sometimes they let you watch movies instead and your brain controls when the movies stop and play and pause, etc.
  • Link to an organization that details all the different places where a veteran can get free neurofeedback: http://www.homecoming4veterans.org/

 veteran with ptsd

  • Meditation.  Recently there was an article in the Washington Post about Transcendental Meditation and its usefulness to veterans.  (Link here.)  Basically, the military has been conducting a lot of research into what they call a “mental toughness” program and a main tenement of that program is meditation.  Meditation allows a person to sit alone in a quiet space and just BE with themselves, and the military’s research has shown that soldiers who meditate are less likely to get PTSD, and in the instances that a person has PTSD, it can be an effective coping mechanism, either by itself or combined with another program.
    • Meditation is probably the hardest thing listed in this program.  Seeking therapy or counseling can be easy because all a person has to do is talk.  Neurofeedback can be easy, because like I said, it’s just like playing a videogame.  But meditation can be the hardest, because a person has to force themselves to sit still, and quiet, for an hour a day—without falling asleep.  It sounds easy.  But it can really be difficult, especially if a veteran has PTSD because of the images and memories of war they see when they sit still and close their eyes.  But luckily for this, too, there are programs all across the U.S. which are designed to teach someone how to meditate within a few short weeks.  (A book on meditation recommended by the military’s mental toughness program is: Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.)
  •  Another main tenement of the military’s mental toughness program and that has been shown to help with PTSD, is physical exercise.  Everyone knows the benefits of physical exercise on the body, but a lot of people aren’t aware of the benefits of physical exercise on the brain.  The military’s mental toughness program has shown that people, who exercise at least three times a week, are more adept at handling stress and dealing with emotional issues; and in separate studies, exercise has been shown to cure depression.  A fit body means a fit brain.  A lot of veterans who get out of the military often lose that physical part of their lifestyle, they may go from working out three times a week to only once, or none.  Lack of physical exercise takes as much a toll on a person’s body as it does their emotional state.
    • yoga for veterans with ptsdA good physical exercise that’s recommended for veterans suffering with PTSD is yoga.  Yoga can be very strenuous and physically demanding, and is often done in heated rooms over 100 degrees, and at the end of every yoga session there is a fifteen minute period of meditation.  With yoga a person will be able to combine two methodologies from the military’s mental toughness program.  They will have the purely physical component of the exercise and the mental component of the meditation.  It’s a win win.
  • There are many places and organizations that offer yoga free for veterans, and it’s usually done in a group format so it can be done with a spouse, but another great thing about yoga and meditation is that it can also be done in the comfort of one’s own house, which is always an added benefit.

The main thing to keep in mind when dealing with PTSD is that there ARE options.  It’s not like after the Vietnam War when the military and spouses and soldiers didn’t know what was going on; we know what’s going on now and there ARE cures.

Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir

In this dark humored War Memoir, Iraq veteran Michael Anthony discusses his return from war and how he defeated his PTSD. Civilianized is a must read for any veteran, or anyone who knows a veteran, who has returned from war and suffered through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

dark humored military memoir“An intense memoir.” -Kirkus

“I wont soon forget this book.” -Mary Roach

“A must read.” -Colby Buzzell

“[S]mart and mordantly funny.” –Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Anthony delivers a dose of reality that can awaken the mind…” Bookreporter

Order your copy of Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir .