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Wheeling Vet Center Leader Says Fireworks Can Cause Anxiety For Veterans

File Photo The days surrounding the Independence Day holiday are popular times to set off fireworks, but the loud explosions and flashing lights can trigger anxiety in some combat veterans.

WHEELING — Patriotic pyrotechnics symbolize Independence Day for many Americans, but fireworks may trigger anxiety for some veterans who fought for the nation’s freedom.

As people set off firecrackers and other types of fireworks in the days leading up to the holiday, the blasts can be unnerving for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. The noise can trigger their memories of combat and induce panic attacks.

John Looney, team leader of the Wheeling Vet Center, believes veterans with PTSD heal with the help of communities and neighborhoods. He suggests neighbors show respect and ask veterans if fireworks will disturb them.

“It’s just being a good neighbor. It’s nothing more than being a good community member,” he said. “Everybody ought to know if someone is a veteran. There are plenty of female veterans now, too. There’s nothing wrong with asking a person if they served in the military.”

Veterans may react adversely to the sound and sight of fireworks, according to Looney.

“It triggers memories and it triggers emotions that come along with the memories,” he said. “It triggers a feeling of someone being disrespectful of their happiness, being inconsiderate.”

Those memories and emotions can cause a veteran to have a feeling of being under siege, which can lead to a panic attack. The first instinct is to hit the ground, Looney said.

“It’s embarrassing to pick yourself off the ground when you’re with family or in the neighborhood,” he said. “People will tease or laugh at that reaction, which is just a terrible thing to do.”

Looney, who is a Vietnam veteran, said it’s difficult for him to enjoy fireworks. In those settings, he said, “I get with some kids. I play with the kids and get them to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah.’ The kids seem to understand better than the adults.”

He suggests veterans and neighbors talk about the potential situation before fireworks are discharged.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to be neighborly,” he said.

In 2015, Military with PTSD, a nonprofit organization in Illinois, launched an “Explosion of Kindness” campaign to raise awareness about the link between PTSD and fireworks link. The group also distributed yard signs stating, “Combat veteran lives here. Please be courteous with fireworks.”

If veterans decide to place yard signs, Looney said, “I would encourage them to ask the neighbor to be supportive of their happiness.”

Looney said during the traditional season for fireworks, many veterans will take their families camping.

“The veteran is trying to be respectful of his or her neighbor,” he said.

According to the Military with PTSD website, an estimated 7-20 percent of the more than 2.5 million veterans and troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to have developed PTSD.

Jon Dykes, the veteran who made the original sign that inspired the Explosion of Kindness program, said, “Courteous, to me, means remembering that you are not the only one living in your neighborhood. America celebrates our independence on the Fourth of July. Not the first, second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh of July. Some fireworks are expected, and that’s OK — I understand, but not 24 hours a day.”

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