Apocalypse THEN

People often ask me why I became a Psychiatrist. The answers I have are many.

However, one of the true and eternal truths about practicing Psychiatry is that you do see and hear a lot of things that others do not AND that are Funny as Shit!

On my very first weekend Call as a Medical Student, brand new to Psychiatry, I was at the Charleston , SC VA Hospital, Psych Ward. This was in 1987, Independence Day...JULY 4th!!! Hot Damn!

Back then, there was no Iraq, so the Majority of the Psychiatric Unit were populated by Vietnam Veterans with a variety of Diagnosis.

PTSD, was one of the Big Ones.

In PTSD, exposure to Smells, Sounds and Sights that are mentally associated with the trauma incurred, such as hearing an artillery shell whistling, jets roaring, Napalm burning, and smelling the charred trees and humans, as you run among the Scene in the midst of a Fire Fight can stay with you forever and be reactivated by some of the same Stimuli or even something similar.

So to lay this out for you; here I was, green as they come in this Field ,with probably 25-30 Patients for the Staff, Resident, and Me to care for.

The day was going OK, no biggie. then the VA staff brought the Grills up to smoke sausage dogs and burgers. As if coordinated by an evil Genius, the light begin to dim and the Helicopters that the Citadel was using to give people free rides to see the City suddenly changed path to follow the Ashley River passing within close proximity to the VA...and us. This was done partially to give people in the copters a view of what was coming next.

All in an instant we heard a Fire Alarm go off because of the inside Grilling....then it got dark.

As if Thor in a Wrath had slammed his Mighty Hammer, the first Salvo of Fireworks Went off!!

KA-BOOM!!!!!

The Pandemonium I witnessed next, I do not believe I have ever again seen the likes of and I doubt that I ever will. Sirens blaring, Copters chopping, Grilled meat smoking and the the F*ing Artillery opens up!!!! Happy 4th!

Boom!!!! Men runinning , Some yelling, "INCOMING!!!!!", (SCREEEEETCCHH-BOOM) "HELP, HELP!!!!", "Ohhhh ShiiiIIttttTTTTT !!!!! ", "Goddamn Gooks!! , and the inevitable "TAKE COVER!!!!!!" Patients were hitting the floor, one knocked the Grill over, two began Fighting, but most were trying to get under the Beds, banging Heads , (TA, TA, TA....KAHBOOM!!)

In that moment, time seemed to change for me, sort of blur but also move like Slo-Motion, maybe just as it did for the Veterans back when it was their Real Vietnam...

As Time slowed, my vision clarified, my Senses became sharper, I felt aware of all things happening at once.....Here I thought....This is Where I was meant to Be.......

... And it Was.....