Father’s War Trauma Revealed Through Son’s Eyes
In a poignant and revealing account, a high school student shares his experience of growing up with a father haunted by the trauma of war. The student, whose name is not disclosed, paints a vivid picture of the daily struggles he faced in trying to understand and support his father, who suffered from nightmares, anxiety, and anger as a result of his time in combat.
The student recalls the frustration of waking his father up from his recurring nightmares every morning, a task he grew to hate as he longed for his father’s alarm clock to do a better job. He vividly remembers the moment when he realized his father’s canned responses to questions about his experiences in the war were not lies, but rather a reflection of his deep-seated belief that those affected by trauma were somehow defective.
It was through reading Tim O’Brien’s novel “In the Lake of the Woods” that the student began to see his father in a new light. The book provided a language to understand the war and its aftermath, and helped the student connect his father’s experiences to the stories and struggles depicted in the novel.
In a touching moment of reflection, the student recalls a conversation with his father where he apologized for his past behavior, acknowledging that his outbursts of anger were abusive. The student, torn between gratitude for the apology and the need to reassure his father that he had never been physically harmed, struggled to find the right words to respond.
The student also reveals the challenges posed by his father’s deteriorating hearing, a result of his time in combat. Despite dreaming of his father getting hearing aids, financial constraints made it seem like an impossible luxury.
Through the student’s eyes, we gain a deeper understanding of the lasting impact of war trauma on individuals and their families, and the complex journey towards healing and reconciliation.
