Educational Media Reviews Online

“It’s a hell of a shock—the whole goddamned thing.”

-Mel Seligman, WWII veteran

“Soldier’s heart” is the term used in the mid 1800s to describe what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The term has had different iterations over the years: “shell shock” in World War I; “battle fatigue” in World War II; and PTSD in the post-Vietnam era.

The Mayo Clinic web site definition states: “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that's triggered by a traumatic event. You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you experience or witness an event that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror. Many people who are involved in traumatic events have a brief period of difficulty adjusting and coping. But with time and healthy coping methods, such traumatic reactions usually get better. In some cases, though, the symptoms can get worse or last for months or even years. Sometimes they may completely disrupt your life. In these cases, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder. Getting treatment as soon as possible after post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms develop may prevent PTSD from becoming a long-term condition.”

Roberta Seligman’s Soldier’s Heart chronicles the war experiences of her father Mel, a WWII veteran honorably discharged with battle fatigue. Mel and his wife Fran visit Normandy on the 40th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The scenes of the Normandy beach, the famous cemetery there and the local farms accompanied by Mel’s narration form a powerful picture of a young soldier’s wartime experience. Mel details the excitement he and the other young soldiers felt as they prepared for war—the adrenalin was flowing as they boarded the boats from England to France. The reality of war greeted them on the beaches of Normandy and the fun and upbeat mood was quickly replaced by the jolt of bullets, confusion, and death.

Mel talks openly about his feelings during the war—about having to kill people, the horrible tasks that had to be done, the awful stench of dead bodies and a soldier’s deep hatred towards the enemy. Mel’s brother was also in the war, doing some type of secret work—the family never really knew what his job entailed. One day, a letter Mel had written his brother was returned to him with the word “deceased” stamped across it. Mel describes his shock and the coldness with which the situation was handled. After falling into a depression, Mel was taken to a field hospital. He describes not feeling like himself at all, that he didn’t care about anything and was in a generally apathetic state. He was given an honorable discharge, and even as Mel reviews his discharge papers, 40 years later, after being in four major battles, he still feels a sense of guilt at not staying until the end of the war. Somehow, even though he was “honorably” discharged, in his mind there was no honor in involved.

Once back home, Mel suffered repeated nightmares, had trouble holding a steady job and Fran attests that he still has nightmares. Her married life did not turn out the way she had envisioned. It was confusing to her to have her young husband return home a different person than when he left. With help for WWII vets suffering from battle fatigue virtually non-existent in the years immediately following the war, most did not have the benefit of follow-up care.

Soldier’s Heart was filmed in 1988, and twelve years later, it is still a valuable resource for remembering the historical development of PTSD; and is a heart wrenching reminder of the mental toll of battle. This film will find a good home in academic library collections supporting the health sciences, social sciences, political sciences, law and military studies.