by Tom Puetz | Jul 13, 2015 | Post Traumatic Growth
Meditation was difficult In the past. My quiet mind was soon filled with memories of combat. The shamanic practice of watching animals without judgment or expectation trained me to observe myself in the same way. Quietly observing animals heals the psychological... 
by Tom Puetz | Jun 4, 2015 | Costs of War
My life was once defined by violence. My experience as an infantry sergeant in the Vietnam War has blessed me with the belief that It is not enough to feel compassion. I must be compassionate. It is not enough to feel love. I must perform loving acts. To break the... 
by Tom Puetz | May 28, 2015 | Food for Thought
Forty-one men on the Kill List were targeted by drone strikes. 1147 people were killed and six of the targets are still alive.The military calling drone strikes surgical is absurd. In the case of Baitullah Mehsud seven drone strikes were made and 164 people killed... 
by Tom Puetz | May 20, 2015 | Families and PTSD
It was deep in the winter of 1995. Mom was at the end of a long illness. She was dying. We called for the parish priest. He came and administered last rites. When the priest left I was sitting with mom and she said “I must be pretty bad if the priest came. I... 
by Tom Puetz | Apr 26, 2015 | Costs of War
Killing in combat is inevitable. In the Vietnam War it was a priority. “Body count” was the order of the day every day. To kill a fellow human is unnatural. The result of overcoming that moral aversion and killing a man is a – moral injury – an...