thank you for your response.

yes i am aware of what a flashback is & when & why it happens. as i mentioned in my post, the issue was not about what happened to the vet...this was not my time to concern myself with his lack of care or grief. honestly at this point i don't really give a damn about him..maybe later on i will, but not now.

i think until you have been faced with extreme law enforcement or another high stress condition you can not understand the reaction. unless you have faced a shoot/don't shoot situation you probably don't get it. i have lost a member of my "family"

telling me about doors opening does me no good..how does that help? a young mother left 2 toddlers? they will never know her...her husband will be forced to raise them alone on a less than perfect income, now always wondering if every stop might bring an increased risk of removing him from his daughters...what good came of this?

i don't need a lecture on the workings of ptsd...i have had it from a child due to extreme abuse...& it was compounded by exposure to dealings at work..

i saw over 25,000 people on a daily basis..in just one of the places i worked. most of them were not evil, or deranged or mentally ill. most were fine, law abiding people. it's just that few...i patrolled alone on boat, foot, snowshoe, atv, cat, truck. where ever & back up may or may not have been readily available...so depending on which park i was at the risk was there..

i know my work was good & noble. i know i saved people & america's treasures. i know that...i know i was willing to sacrifice myself if need be...i saw the weapons, saw the bad guys, etc. saw things that would scare the crap out of you if you knew...but you don;t because parks are happy fun places..america's crown jewels...my park was a magnet for terrorism..the public never knew that...i had training that swat teams got.

so yeah...a fellow ranger ambushed in her vehicle hurts big time....talking about opening & closing doors , while i appreciate the attempt doesn't really help. i get ptsd...understand it..i too live with it on a daily basis...