2000 Yards The painting known as That 2000 Yard Stare by Tom Lea hangs proudly in many war museums, and as people stare it, it stares out past them. When looking at the painting the most prominent feature is easily, the young soldier with a flat affect gazing directly toward the onlookers. The title refers to a common saying amongst military personnel and psychiatrists; the “thousand yard stare or two-thousand yard stare” refers to a psychological phenomenon clinically known as dissociation.
Dissociation is one of the mind’s defense mechanisms; simply put, it is an intense detachment from reality to protect the mind from severe trauma. The stare has a history as long as war itself; the cause has had many names including soldier’s heart, irritable heart, traumatic neuroses, shell shock, war hysteria, combat stress reaction, Vietnam veterans syndrome, and fright neuroses, today it is called combat post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Personally, I have been diagnosed with combat PTSD and I have professionally treated other victims of combat PTSD, making it a very …show more content…
The clothing is wrinkled, filthy, and torn at the sleeve though he does not appear to take notice or care. His neglected uniform and shadowy beard stubble show his disinterest in maintaining the strict regulations he once adhered by. The concepts of military bearing and courtesy have long sense become superfluous for him. A standard issue helmet sits lopsided on his head, its chinstrap torn. It displays a large dent near the top, a constant reminder of the threats made against his existence. A thin chain hangs limply around his neck, presumably holding his identification tags, little slivers of metal bearing his information so that his leaders can easily catalog him and contact his family in the likely event of his death. I conclude that his appearance is designed to display the severity of his situation and give an idea of the hardships he has