Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Veterans Living With PTSD React to Pathway Shooting

Yountville Shooting Leaves An Impact On Veterans Living With PTSD
CBS San Francisco
March 12, 2018

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – A U.S. veteran killed three staff members at a veterans’ facility in Napa County, raising the question: are veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder getting the help they need when they come home?

The triple homicide happened in Yountville in Napa County on Friday. But on Monday, 100 miles away on the other side of the San Francisco Bay Area, a group session was held for veterans with PTSD in San Jose.

Counselors at the veterans housing facility in San Jose gave extra attention to veteran’s feelings and their fears because the Yountville shootings happened in a very similar setting.

“Our first priority is to make sure that you’re okay,” a counselor asked a room full of veterans. “How many of you were affected this weekend?”

“Did anybody get triggered just by watching it and just by the fear that was going on?” a counselor asked the veterans in San Jose.

One veteran answered: “Yes. I fell into another depression. It triggered me going back 40 years and I have been crying since that time.”

We sat down with U.S. veteran Thomas MacGowan, a Vietnam vet with PTSD, who agreed to talk about his feelings.

“I was scared that it was going to happen here,” MacGowan said. “I felt safe in a sense, but my immediate reaction was: do I want to run or do I want to stay and fight? How’s everybody else doing around here?”
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