Traveler01 said:
Well, Traveler, this isn't the first time I've seen this. This could be a sign that the guy really needs help.
For example, lots of guys sit and schmooze with me while I'm sharpening their knives. For some reason, guys tend to 'open up' at gunshops or to their barber or their bartender.
Case in point, one of my clients,
a truly nice guy, informed me that he was having disturbing dreams. I will add this, he is younger than me, hence in no way part of the WWII generation.
He stated that these repeated dreams denoted that he was an ace fighter pilot from the Army Air Corps, and had been
sent forward in time to teach combat to the peaceful inhabitants of Middle Earth.
Being a graduate of the drooling academy, I can tell you that when someone uses the term
dream, what he might be trying to do is innocently informing you about disturbing thoughts he is having
while awake.
There is a very fine membrane between thought and deed at this level.
A guy may never have been a soldier, but he admires them. While most people do admire soldiers everyday, a guy like this might wear bits and snatches of a uniform for camouflage while hunting. Then he might wear camo pants in public, or buy a beret.
As his interest in military things grows, he might buy a 1911, and take a combat class.
At this point he has the ability to be "combat ready" and he fancies himself a 'warrior.' As stated, the dividing line between reality and flights of fancy is a very fluid membrane. In his new reality, he is as good as a Ranger, in fact, his training makes him a Ranger equivalent. It makes him a Ranger.
Unless you actual soldiers know of combat operations in Alberta, Canada, which allow the easy access to pistols, I think this guy is an example of the problem.
The wandering speech, the 'insider lingo,' the anger expressed because someone doubts his word, seem to point to a guy who needs the status of a warrior. Something has spooked this guy, and he needs his warrior side to survive.
I know this mental condition very well. At the height of my latest episode, my wife told me I rambled for an entire day about the leaves and twigs in our rain gutters. I claimed that the debris would build up and rot our roof, seemingly in one or two days.
I had uncontrollable fear from anxiety. And not finding something real to fear, I
created the situation of my home crumbling.