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No, Ilhan Omar Isn’t Disrespecting Veterans by Talking About Her PTSD
As a childhood survivor of war, the congresswoman isn’t trivializing the troops by talking about her trauma
Let’s say it plainly: The conservative obsession with Rep. Ilhan Omar has become downright pathological.
Conservatives have been fixating on Omar’s comments at a Wednesday press conference on how the escalating tension between the United States and Iran is causing her to experience PTSD. Indiana Rep. Jim Banks tweeted that her comments were “a disgrace and offense to our nation’s veterans.” Fox News host Laura Ingraham also tweeted sarcastically, “Call the medic!” Omar responded by pointing out that she was a childhood survivor of war (the congresswoman spent years in a refugee camp as a young child); right-wingers responded by either insisting that her behavior is inconsistent with someone experiencing PTSD or claiming that she’s somehow disrespecting the troops by talking about her trauma.
The truth is that PTSD sufferers can be soldiers, rape victims, war survivors, car accident victims, or anyone who has gone through a traumatic event. I know not just because this is accepted medical knowledge, but because I had PTSD after the life-threatening birth of my…
