Unit Cohesion as it Relates to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Figure 1. Howard Sarty and other men from his unit pose for a picture in front of a tank.(1) 

First-hand, historical research was conducted to analyze letters that Howard Sarty, an infrantryman at Camp Campbell in Kentucky, wrote home to his wife, Yvette. It provided a better understanding into the importance of relationships during combat. Aside from being excited when writing to his wife in general, Howard would also highlight each and every social occurance he had with his friends at Camp Campbell. It was not difficult to realize the importance of relationships, both big and small for a soldier. An idea of what this may look like can be seen in figure one. In fact, one of Howard's good friends, George (Mike) DeBiasa, often lamented with Howard about the loneliness of war and how important it is to have a friend. The two would often write letters together and would take excurisions and skip detail with one another.(2) Howard continued to make friends and have experiences with other soldiers including exploring caves, going to Nashville and writing letters together. After the war, Howard moved back home to New Jersey, became an electrician and had four children. Howard's experience during combat certainly had an effect after he returned home. One such aspect of his time in combat was having friends and other buddies to help him along the way. By having this resource, Howard had a support system during and after the war.

Figure 2. A soldier is traumatized after the death of a buddy so he seeks another friend for console.(3)

From this idea my research is based. The friendships Howard encountered were so important to him that it influenced me to pay more attention to the many circumsantance Howard behaved socially. In other words, Howard, his friends and his company proved to me that they had a high level of unit cohesion. Most were motivated to befriend one another from a variety of circumstances. As detailed through modern, psychological essays, the levels of unit cohesion Howard and his friends had was incredibly important. Through these psycholgical works that I utilized, it can be determined there is an inverse relationship between unit cohesion and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD has damaged and tarnished the minds of veterans all across the globe. The effects of PTSD can be seen in figure two. It has blurred the line between what is reality and what is a soldier's personal hell. Extensive psychological research has been conducted to combat PTSD throughout our nation's history and the research has grown and developed over time. In short, the research conducted for the following essay analyzed and evaluated the relatiohsip between unit cohesion and PTSD. This conclusion is reinforced using modern, psychological works done by a variety of experts, personal interviews with World War II veterans, newspaper entries and photographs of the time. 

Figure 3. Concordia College students find one another after seeing the "Cobber" ring on each other's fingers. It is an example of unit cohesion from a shared background.(7) 

 

An important aspect to unit cohesion is understanding what motivates soldiers to become closer. Questions centered around motivation to create unit cohesion were applied to the interviews I conducted. The answers were varied, yet important. For one, a motivator could be the support of the homefront. This idea reinforces just who the soldiers are fighting for and who is supporting them. Soldiers as a group could rally around that fact. The poem tells the American people that there is still more conflict. Germany is defeated, however our boys are still on the ground. A passage from the poem reads, "Let us move forward with strong and active faith!"(8) Motivation, as told in an interview by Dr. Gretchen Harvey, can arise from wanting to go home and see family and a girl that you love.(9) By knowing a soldier's love is waiting back home would make them eager to return. In fact, many men would sit down together and write home to their girl back home. There are many motivators to promote cohesion among a unit and it is incredibly important to do so. Religion, as described in an interview Dr. Hiram Drache, became another motivator for unit cohesion. It brought men closer together when they shared a common faith.(10) In fact, Dr. Olin Storvick in an interview told me a story about how her would spend every moring at church with six other men. When it came to be the night before the battle of Okinawa, the church was jam packed.(11) These men were unified under their faith hours before one of the bloodiest battles in history. Sharing a common background can be a form of motivation of unit cohesion. This can be seen when evaluating figure three. 

A soldier's state of mind is crucial to understand and protect both abroad and at home. In assessing aspects of warfare centered around PTSD, unit cohesion must be considered. With an inverse relationship to PTSD, it has been linked to lowering the risk of PTSD for soldiers after combat, and for this reason psychologists can assess who has a higher likelihood to suffer from PTSD post-combat. Many aspects of warfare, such as the support from the homefront, love and religion motivate the presence of unit cohesion and it is important for superiors, the homefront and other soldiers to continue to do so. After reading the letters Howard wrote to Yvette, it was easy to see that a friend in time of a serious and traumatic time can have a tremendous impact on someone. One example of the importance of having a buddy can be seen in figure four when Howard's morale is improved by a friend.  It is of the utmost importance to continue to research and understand psychology centered around war to improve the lives of soldiers that fought for what they believed in the past, present and future.