Diamond Thoughts

On this page, we often forget the immense human and psychological toll of war. I have been guilty of this as well. War and the experiences of armed forces personnel in war can have a great impact on their mental health. My own great grandfather, Dumman Singh suffered from what we know as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after his experience in the First World War. It is not a sign of weakness or cowardice as it once was perceived to be. It is humanity. Many jawans go to war and don’t return as the same person as before. We should never forget the impact of war and combat. Please forgive your elders if they don’t want to talk about it. I have never been in combat but I have struggled with mental health, so this is very important for me. Armed forces across the world have a very high rate of suicide and mental illnesses. The Indian armed forces lost 95 personnel to suicide in 2019, British armed forces have seen 25, Canada 20, Australia 30, USA 511 due to combat related PTSD. In the last seven years, India lost 900 armed forces personnel, more than in the Kargil war (575). Medical personnel are especially susceptible. Things we see as mundane or simple, such as fireworks or a car backfiring can set off a bad memory. PTSD does not care how gallant or soldierly you were. It knows no nationality, no uniform, no religion, no language, no rank, awards or name.