By: Will Kettle

Will Kettle — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:08:39 +0000

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I began reading Schizophrenia in the Army: A personal memoir of recovery, but couldn’t put it down after digesting the opening lines by author Gregory Hitchcock.
Although some of the passages are so disturbing they should come with a warning, I believe Hitchcock’s memoir should be required reading for all military chaplains and mental health professionals who are entrusted with the care of our troops – commencing with the most basic of training, possibly at the recruitment level.
As prepared as I thought I was to read boot camp horror stories involving physically exhausting training and exercises designed to strengthen self-discipline, I was shell-shocked by the apparent lack of guidance when it came to non-corporal matters involving impressionable young recruits. Until reading Hitchcock’s memoir, the image of soldiers marching into battle with broken hearts and wounded spirits had not entered my mind.
No wonder it was impossible for me to complete the memoir without wiping away tears as I grieved Hitchcock’s loss of innocence while simultaneously pondering ways his descent into emotional and spiritual hell might have been prevented along the way.
From the account of his first long ago night at Fort Dix to his last day at Walter Reed, I kept wishing a chaplain or compassionate counselor might appear to prepare him for the mental and moral challenges that awaited him in the two very different military settings.
The former US Army Private-turned-civilian journalist is worthy of being saluted for the courage he has demonstrated in sharing details of some of the gut-wrenching episodes from his past that helped to shape him into the humanitarian soul he is today. The pen truly is mightier than the sword, and Gregory Hitchcock is to be commended for using his literary skills to try to help combat the stigma associated with a schizophrenia diagnosis.
The insight Hitchcock has gained and the leadership abilities he has demonstrated throughout his long and difficult recovery prove him to be a Wounded Warrior deserving of dignity and respect. Indeed, I believe the author of this memoir has the potential to become the kind of holistic healer Private Gregory Hitchcock desperately needed, but had no way of accessing, in the military a quarter of a century ago.
 Ann Hauprich
 Ballston Spa, New York, USA

Comments on: Schizophrenia In The Army

By: Will Kettle