Fourth of July is here, and for many that means two things: barbecue and fireworks. However, for soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), it means reliving the nightmares from the frontline. The loud bangs from the fireworks can cause soldiers to have flashbacks from traumatic events where they lost their friends, innocent civilians died, or they lost a part of their body. These memories can bring back a lot of pain from the dark times in their lives. While many soldiers can get away from the fireworks scheduled by the city, some cannot plan for the civilian-lit fireworks.

According to troops serving in Iraq in 2006, the most common war experiences include: being attacked or ambushed, incoming fire, being shot at, discharging a weapon, seeing dead bodies or remains, and knowing someone who was seriously injured or killed. While everyone is different, many react to traumas such as these with physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral actions. Trouble sleeping, headaches, sweating, trouble concentrating, being jumpy or on guard, anger, nightmares, and feeling guilty or sad are only a few of the side effects of PTSD. These symptoms can either be a permanent reaction, or the symptoms could be triggered.

If you want to help prevent our soldiers from suffering through these horrible experiences, here are a few things you can do.

1. Consider viewing public firework displays instead of setting ones off in your neighborhood.

2. Talk with Veterans in your neighborhood to see if any particular fireworks are upsetting.

3. Let neighbors know what time you will be setting off fireworks and for what length of time.

4. Refrain from setting off fireworks at unexpected times during the day.

5. Choose a site that will be least likely to disturb vets.

6. Minimize the amount of fireworks that you set off.

For the soldiers or their family members, there are signs available that request neighbors to be courteous with their fireworks, giving them a chance to think twice about their actions.

From the website EcoMerge, Army Specialist Chase Brown talks about a PTSD flashback on the fourth of July:

“I didn’t really understand what was going on around me because in my mind I wasn’t here. In my I was in Iraq. My wife and I and a couple of our neighbors were standing outside, just talking. Some of those artillery rounds started being fired from down the road. The flash from the RPG’s, all that was coming back. Death destruction, the smells, sights, everything. I remember coming in and grabbing my keys and that was it. I don’t remember anything else until my wife was actually able to get me inside.”

Our soldiers fought for our freedom. They made devastating sacrifices while protecting America. Being courtious about how our celebratory Independence Day fireworks affect our vets is the least we can do to help protect the vets at home.