Review - A Woman with No Name; A Journey of Survival

This is the memoir of a woman who served honorably in the U.S. Navy and, as a result of her experiences, suffered from PTSD for years. Her story is filled with hope despite its horror. It’s a true story. What almost seems like fiction is that its writer could pull herself up after everything that happened to her. That’s true, too. Debra Jean is the goddess of her own life.

Her story shows us that hope is more than reasonable. She received numerous commendations and even a much-sought posting with NATO during her service despite the almost unspeakable trauma she experienced during those years. If she can heal, each of us can.

One would expect a memoir about PTSD to be difficult to read, but while her descriptions of places and emotions are vivid, Debra Jean never dragged me into her story. I cringed often, but there was something objective in her writing that didn’t force me to plunge into the horror of her experiences.

Nonetheless, her writing was engaging enough to make me care about the story. When her plane landed in Italy, the intimation of impending disaster was so powerful, I wanted to beg, “No, no! Please, don’t get off the plane! Please!”

When I did read all that happened next, I groaned, wishing events like these couldn’t happen, wishing that life didn’t have to be so horrific to bring wisdom. But Debra is wise and strong.

Her spirituality is obvious. During a description of the rituals and rhythms of her childhood religion, she writes, “Time is crucial to Catholics. The shortest mass in town equals the largest congregation. That makes more time for visiting the tavern after church.” Okay, her sense of humor is even more obvious. She must get it from one of her grandmothers, two ladies I wish I had met.

After years of exemplary service and numerous commendations, Debra Jean was given an honorable discharge, but the document included these words: “Other/ Physical/ Mental Condition – Personality Disorder.” She writes,

From November 1, 2001 to June 30, 2007, over 26,000 enlisted military personnel were discharged with the diagnosis of personality disorder. The Government Accountability Office studied the files. A vast majority of these service men and women were deployed overseas and/ or victims of military sexual trauma. A personality disorder is considered a pre-existing condition. So how did 26,000 men and women pass their psychological tests? I believe that these men and women have PTSD. However, if they are discharged under personality disorder, the government is not responsible to pay for their disability benefits because this diagnosis is considered to be a pre-existing condition.

The courageous women and men of this country defend our freedoms, constitution, and country. Veterans should not be subjected to any unnecessary administrative battlefields in order to receive their benefits that they so rightly deserve.

Four years after her discharge from the U.S. Navy, she began the fight to have the Veterans Administration acknowledge that she suffered from PTSD that was a result of injuries sustained during her active duty military service. Many years later, she was “validated and vindicated” when the Navy amended her honorable discharge to indicate a medical discharge.

You can recognize, that for Debra Jean, the telling of this story was a releasing of her past. For readers, it may be a promise that healing is possible or an example of courage worthy of emulation. It is certainly a lesson about understanding for veterans and other people with PTSD.

Her story begins with pain and sinks into confusion, shame, agony, and fear. I ached for her. But her book ends with these words:

My journey continues, as I walk upon the earth’s arena carefully nurturing the new heart that beats inside this body. I will never forget the journey that carried me here. The scars on my body remind me of the thorns on a rose bush. They were meant to teach me to parent myself, to walk side by side with faith, and to never lose myself for the selfish benefit of another.

And had it not been for the grace of my Lord and Savior, I would not be here today.

Debra Jean has faced her experiences and transcended them. I am grateful that she shared her story with me.

Every day, twenty-two U.S. veterans commit suicide.
That’s eight thousand and thirty servicemen and women each year.