Fort Hood: What the Gunman Caused

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

On April 2^nd, 2014 a shooter entered Fort Hood, Texas, shot three soldiers, and injured sixteen others. After his unforgivable actions, he committed suicide. The gunman was a veteran who served in Iraq and was claimed to have health and mental issues.

It was reported he was being treated for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (a mental illness usually found in soldiers and veterans), but there was no formal diagnosis or official statement claiming that he had the illness. However, it was discovered that he was suffering from depression and anxiety and taking anti-depressants.  While this supposedly contributed to the shoot out, another factor was that he was denied temporary leave to attend his mother’s funeral.

Because of this tragic event, the Internet erupted not only with sympathy for those at Fort Hood, but the realization that PTSD is not a stigma.

PTSD is a serious illness that usually occurs after something traumatic like sexual assault or war. In the armed forces, it is a strong possibility to be struck with PTSD. 11-20% of Veterans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were struck with PTSD.  10% of Veterans who fought in the Gulf War also obtained PTSD and 30% of Vietnam veterans have it as well. Its effects include reliving the event (ex.: hearing a car backfire and it recreating a memory for a veteran), feeling on the edge, feeling emotionless, and avoiding situations that remind you of the traumatic event.

As seen in other tragic, veteran incidents like this, the media tends to focus on the idea of PTSD being the ultimate cause of horrific actions. By concluding that veterans who have PTSD are dangerous individuals, they create a stigma around them and the illness itself. However, this recent event at Fort Hood has caused many veterans and writers to push the notion of taking the D out of PTSD and to stop labeling it as a cause of violence.

The gunman is completely guilty for his crimes committed at Fort Hood, but his lack of PTSD had no part in it. Rather than assuming veterans with PTSD are dangerous, we should investigate, and not believe everything the media tells us. Let us open our minds and look behind the veil of situations before deciding on what we believe.

The Jersey Shore's Bad Luck

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

Today is to be wary of black cats, avoid shattering mirrors, and to stray away from bad luck.

Speaking of bad luck, the Jersey Shore has once again been struck with an unfortunate event.  Last year the Garden State’s shoreline was attacked by Hurricane Sandy. This horrific super storm tore through beach towns, scattered sand, swallowed homes, and flooded streets. To this day, there people living in disaster sections because of her.

However, New Jersey refused to admit defeat to this powerful hurricane. In a matter of months, campaigns were launched, claiming that we were "stronger than the storm." Boardwalks were rebuilt, businesses were reconstructed, houses were repaired, and hope started to surface along the Jersey Shore.

By summer of 2013, most of the locations hit by Sandy were restored. The Ocean City boardwalk was running and even receiving new rides, the Barnegat docks were able to host their annual 4^th of July fireworks spectacular, and even Long Beach Island’s Fantasy Island was working properly.  As for Seaside Heights and Park, their boardwalk, shops, arcades, and food stands were back and better than ever. However, they were still in the process of replacing rides lost in the super storm.

Beneath the scorching summer sun, the boardwalks thrived greatly. No sooner the summer season was completed did bad luck strike one of the newly constructed tourist attractions.

On September 12^th, 2013 Seaside Heights and Park, New Jersey fell victim to a fire started at the Kohrs ice cream stand.  The blazing wall of flames started at 2:30 pm and was considered a six (now ten) alarm fire. Within hours, the boardwalk from North Ocean Ave to Ocean Terrace was destroyed.

abcnews.com

Famous places like The Sawmill, The Beach Bar, and others were turned to ash. Even the Carousel Arcade which housed a historic merry-go-round didn't survive the destruction. Thankfully, no lives were taken in the ruin of Seaside’s boardwalk and the fire was contained. However, fire fighters and other officials have been injured. So far, no one knows the cause of the flames.

For many, watching the Funtown Pier slowly being consumed by the roaring blazes was heartbreaking. With every rumor of what was being exterminated, my heart sank lower and lower until it reached the soles of my feet.

Last summer Seaside Heights embraced me in its Jersey Shore boards and unveiled fantastic memories.  It was a great privilege to walk this almost endless stretch of beach and boards before the storm and fire.

I remember everything about this place; the scents of deep fried deliciousness, the chime of the carousel, the music tumbling out of stores, and arcades. It was a place that combined the old traditions and appearances with modern day culture.

I have only ventured to Seaside Heights four to five times. I regret not roaming there more as I have done with Long Beach Island and Ocean City. But the times I have visited there I was greeted with a special ambiance that couldn't be found at other locations. Seaside had its own unique flare of the past that seeped through the Kayne West raps and I Mustache You a Question shirts. The present seemed to house the past, like Carousel Arcade – astounding wondering eyes with modern video games while holding a 100 year old carousel.

Through the rebuilding process, the present even seemed to hold the future. On my last trip there, workers were putting up rides like a whale version of the Swashbuckler and a few others. This pier held the future of entertainment and enjoyment. However, no one could foretell the tragedy Seaside would suffer.

While the Seaside I have come to know and love rests in ashes, there is still hope for the burned down boardwalk. Like a phoenix rising from the debris, New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie vows to rebuild Seaside and make it better than it ever was.

How long the second rebuilding of Seaside will take no one knows but it can be estimated in about a year or more. Christie believes that we are more ferocious than the fire and refuses to let Seaside Heights and Park fade away.