WASHINGTON — While many adults and children revel in the spectacular light displays across the skies on the Fourth of July, others avoid the sounds of fireworks in hopes of dodging memories of war.
“I am not a big fan of fireworks, to be completely honest,” said Jason Hansman, membership director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Hansman, who served in Iraq, said he discovered the problem while working as a security guard after his combat deployment.
“We did a fireworks show every year at a place I worked security back in Bellevue, Wash.,” he said. Part of that job required that he guard an area that was directly below the floor where the fireworks were launched. Being so close to the explosive sounds was a clear reminder of his experience on the battlefield.
“This was very much like an experience I had when I was in Iraq,” Hansman said. “It brought back memories of hiding in bunkers when they were shooting mortars at us.”
Hansman didn’t have post-traumatic stress disorder, but the experience created enough discomfort for him that he quit that particular part of the job.
“I think everyone is affected in their own way,” Hansman said. “I don’t care how much distance you have from service … I think it’s going to be an issue for you.”
Cyrus Hackworth, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, is also still troubled by the sound of loud fireworks.
“The other day fireworks were going off and I immediately got distracted. It definitely reminded me of being close to a war zone,” Hackworth said. “Even hearing fireworks in the distance reminds me of hearing bombs in the distance when I was overseas and you think to yourself, who is dying over there — us or them?”
Loud noises and parades are definitely two situations that can trigger anxiety in veterans even if it doesn’t rise to PTSD, according to Eileen Dambo, a clinical social worker in Washington.
The level of anxiety that a veteran may suffer is wide-ranging, but being surrounded by people he or she trusts can help in any situation, Dambo said.
“Typically, it’s about having as much control over their surroundings as possible,” said Dambo, who recommended that veterans celebrate the holiday around people who make them feel safe “so that they know if they want to leave, they can.”
As a safeguard, Dambo teaches a grounding exercise for veterans who experience a moment of anxiety: “They have ways to do deep breathing … to stay in the present and not get pulled back into a flashback from the past.”