Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Less Visible Sign of War

Abstract

On a beautiful sunny morning last fall, my family and I boarded a flight at Washington Reagan Airport in the nation's capital, where we reside. Our destination was Miami for a weeklong vacation with our son, Michael, before his upcoming active duty military deployment to Afghanistan. A departure flight from Washington, DC, commonly includes traveling military service members, some in uniform on official business and others in civilian clothing en route to some other destination. On this early Saturday morning, the flight contained an abundance of both. We settled into our seats and proceeded to an on-time departure. Shortly after reaching the altitude at which the seat belt sign is turned off, a nervous sounding announcement was made over the loudspeaker by a flight attendant asking for a doctor or nurse to please provide medical assistance. Looking back from my seat up front, some commotion was visible in the rear section of the plane. A second nervous call for medical assistance quickly followed. I and another woman stood and identified ourselves as registered nurses and then followed a flight attendant to the person needing assistance. Joni M. Brady, MSN, RN, CAPA, is an International Perianesthesia Nursing Consultant and Pain Management Nurse, Nursing Administration, Inova Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria, VA.