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Help for World War II Former Prisoners of War (POWs)
Although World War II ended 60 years ago, some American ex-prisoners of the war, many of whom are now in their late 70s and 80s, have begun to show signs of psychological trauma due to their captivity and brutality they endured as young men.
For most the loss of social support that occurs with aging and retirement combined with a lack of structure causes traumatic memories to resurface. In addition, as these veterans age they begin to face their own mortality their memories begin to resurface. There has also been speculation that the aging process may inhibit repression of trauma because of diminished cognitive functioning.
In 1999 two Veterans Administration social workers in the Chicago area, Phillip Elbaum and Ed Klama of the Hines Veterans Administration hospital, became concerned that these veterans were aging and their stories would be lost when they passed away. As a result they developed the Former POW Living History Project to help these veterans give meaning to their trauma and so that their stories would be remembered by future generations. In addition, many families did not know about their experiences and the project served to educate them, too. More than 125 veterans have participated in the project.
The POW Living History Project was designed in response to a study of experiences of POWs from WWII, but its findings may be applicable to American POWs from any war. The project may also be helpful in understanding severe trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The project has two parts: a survey of World War II veterans’ long-term adjustment to captivity, and a video documentary of their experiences before, during, and after their capture. Elbaum and Klama have used the project to educate Veterans Administration employees about the changing health care needs of former POWs to enable former POWs to confront their pasts in constructive ways, and to help remind the American public of the challenges they face.
Many of the participants in the study were successful men who had led full lives. They were not the stereotypical PTSD patients whose symptoms negatively impacted all facets of their life. They had moved on with their lives, and were only now, 50 to 60 years later, beginning to experience traumatic symptoms such as intrusive thoughts about their war experiences. This meant that social workers, nurses, psychologists and doctors at the Hines hospital had to become more aware how they cared for former POWs who were getting older and facing new challenges.
As POW veterans get older, they face new challenges – retirement, death of friends, and failing health. Information learned through the Former POW Living History Project shows that with these new challenges comes a lot of stress that can trigger PTSD symptoms.
While few of the POWs interviewed by Elbaum and Klama developed severely debilitating cases of PTSD, most began to exhibit symptoms such as recurring nightmares, intrusive thoughts, avoidance behavior and feelings of detachment. According to Elbaum and Klama, these minor forms of PTSD can easily be overlooked in ex-POWs, because when dealing with a veteran who has been living with little or no reported trauma for a long time, PTSD is not the first suspicion when problems do finally arise.
According to Klama, most POWs don’t deal with their trauma. Rather they mask it with work, family, or friends. They become involved in so many things that they have no time to think about the trauma of their experiences. However, as they get older, they may no longer be able to maintain such a fast-paced lifestyle, and may begin to confront their memories of captivity. This is especially true for POWs of the Pacific theatre, who were tortured and treated far worse than those in the European theatre. Over 40% of those captured by the Japanese died in captivity while 4% of those captured by the Germans died. There were extreme hardships endured by Jewish POWs captured by the Germans.
By showing the taped video documentaries to health care professionals and decoding former POWs’ surveys, Elbaum and Klama with the Research Service at Hines have helped make the staff at Hines acutely aware of the dynamics of trauma in former POWs and its progression after retirement and in the face of aging.
The Former Living POW History Project not only explores the long-term adjustments of POWs’, but it also helps remind Americans of the price these men and women paid for our freedom.
Many POWs experienced untold horrors and atrocities. They watched their friends shot right in front of them, were loaded onto death ships, starved, beaten, and even tortured. And many of them never talked about it. Instead, they held these experiences inside and repressed these memories.
Many former POWs didn’t want to talk about their experiences then, but now many of them are ready to do so, and even feel a need to share. The study by Elbaum and Klama discusses the amazing stories of strength, courage, and bravery the POWs told them.
Elbaum and Klama decided to help former POWs share their stories with their families and the world. Americans can learn a lot about freedom, patriotism, and courage from our living POWs. It’s not just their history, it’s American history.
Recognizing the importance of this research, in March 2003 the Library of Congress requested copies of the interviews for inclusion in the Veterans History Project.
So far videotapes have been made of more than 125 former POWs who talked about their experiences in captivity, often sharing their stories for the first time. A copy of each tape is given to the POW’s family to keep as a reminder of the POW’s sacrifice, while another copy is used to educate students, staff, and volunteers about the true price of freedom.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Association of Social Workers or its members.
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