New war movie
triggers unusual
official reaction
Mental health officials fear
By Gregg K. Kakesako
'Saving Private Ryan'
could cause problems
for World War II vets
Star-BulletinThe surf runs red. Bullets pierce helmets or ping off the barricades into the sand. And an endless barrage from Nazi machine guns rips into American troops seconds after their landing craft reaches Omaha Beach.
The realistic opening battle scenes of Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" could be so deeply moving that they might cause problems for some World War II veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. Maurice Sprenger, assistant chief of staff for mental health services for the VA in Hawaii, said he hasn't seen the graphic World War II movie, but based on reports he does expect "some reaction."
"Many veterans may avoid it," Sprenger said. "However, others may not be prepared for what they see or may go to the movie unsuspectingly.
"Depending on the amount of combat a person experienced," Sprenger said, "studies have shown that prolonged periods of combat have resulted in higher risk of post traumatic stress disorder. That's what was called battle fatigue, shell shock or war shock in World War II."
For the first half hour of the film, the D-Day assault on Omaha Beach is viewed from the ground level as Army Rangers storm the Atlantic Ocean beach only to be cut down in chest high water by a steady stream of machinegun fire.
In the film, one soldier's torso is ripped open. Holding his intestines in his his hands the soldier cries out for his mother. Another soldier picks up a severed arm and continues up the beach. The Rangers eventually take the beachhead and the concrete pillboxes on the bluff, but the French beach is littered with bodies of dead soldiers and fishes.
In the closing moments of the nearly three hour-long movie, a devastated French village is the scene of the 30-minute climatic battle where the Americans must hold a bridge and prevent the Nazis from taking it using Tiger tanks and foot soldiers.
Sprenger said the graphic battle scenes may result in nightmares, sleep problems and hypervigilance -- a condition where a person is easily startled or can't be calmed down because "he is too much on the edge."
"A person may avoid going to bed," he added, "to prevent having nightmares.
Sprenger said the VA will be available to provide counseling services and medication if necessary.
"We even can help the families of veterans," Sprenger added, "by telling them what is happening and what they can do about it."
Besides the sleep problem or the nightmares, "some veterans may get depressed or anxious. A few may get panic attacks."
Trauma hotline for vets
Veterans and their families needing help can call the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for advise and counseling:
Oahu: 566-1412 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays
