BURNING BAD MEMORIES FULL

He says he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after he left the military. He's a retired marine who did two tours in Iraq in 20. When you wake up, I mean you're coughing.īen Kesling: It's something that everybody experiences is the smells that take them back, and it's really a great avenue for having conversations with people because it can provide a pathway into talking about something that doesn't get open very often.ĭanny Lewis: That's what happened to Jonathan Tissue. Speaker 5: It's in your hair, it's in your arms. Speaker 4: You could smell smoke all the time, it seemed. And when you smell burnt plastic it's a nasty stench. Speaker 3: Almost like burning rubber and wood at the same time. The smell of rosewater, a common perfume overseas.ĭanny Lewis: Some veterans have talked about this publicly, but it's usually about the less pleasant odors. It might be the smell of sand, the smell of dirt, the smell of grease. That might be the smell of burning trash because there's so many burn pits over there. For people who have been through trauma, smells can bring back bad memories.īen Kesling: There's very rarely that focus on the odor, the smell of war. Smell underlies our ability to taste and it can act as an early warning sign for our brains. It plays a major role in how people experience the world.

I recently called Ben up to ask him about something that affects a lot of veterans returning from combat.īen Kesling: Every so often I'll just smell something that just brings back a memory that I hadn't even thought about for a long time.ĭanny Lewis: That's right. I'm a Midwest correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, but I also cover defense and veterans issues.ĭanny Lewis: Ben served in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

BURNING BAD MEMORIES FULL

This version may not be in its final form and may be updated.ĭanny Lewis: Always funny doing this with a colleague, but what's your full name and how do you describe what you do?īen Kesling: I'm Ben Kesling. This transcript was prepared by a transcription service.

Burning bad memories