Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter was bestowed the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama during his deployment in Afghanistan. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar
Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Ty Michael Carter called attention to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as he addressed an audience of military personnel and civilians Monday afternoon in the UH Alumni Center.
“To call post-traumatic stress is actually an insult to who we are,” Carter said. “Post-traumatic stress is simply a stress that your body and mind goes through after an incident. It’s not a combat thing, it’s not a service member thing — it’s an everybody thing.”
He even came up with his own definition, saying that PTSD is “an instinctive, reflexive reaction of your body and mind to recall an incident so you can avoid repeating it.”
Carter was given the acknowledgment for his actions while serving in Afghanistan. He was deployed as a cavalry scout in the Bravo Troop, Third Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, Fourth Infantry Division in the Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. While serving in the Black Knight Troop, he rendered first aid and risked his life to save a pinned-down, injured soldier when his outpost was ambushed by more than 300 Taliban fighters. Eight Americans were killed, according to CNN.
Retired colonel Andrew Parsons, who has supported the UH ROTC program for about 30 years, compared Carter’s visit to that of a famous rock star, like Elvis Presley, visiting the University.
“A Congressional Medal of Honor winner is an exceptional thing,” Parsons said. “It’s not an everyday thing.”
The accomplishments of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient are, by definition, exceptional. However, as great as the accomplishment of Sgt. Ty Michael Carter truly are, these accomplishment do not reflect an accurate assessment of PTS. Sgt. Carter is certainly and uniquely, entitled to his opinion. A close reading of SGT Carter’s quote notes he was defining PTS not PTSD. Thank you Sgt. Carter for your extraordinary combat heroism. I agree with former President George W. Bush in taking the “D” out of PTSD.