I'm somewhat at a loss for words about this. Obviously I'm moved (and proud), but I'm also kind of dazed at the effect a fictional character can have on someone at the lowest point in his life. A damn shame what happened to this bright and happy guy who was enjoying life at ComiCon. (received through the website email and reprinted with his permission)
Hey Mr. Wilson, we met about five years ago while I was in the navy. When you came to Comic Con down in San Diego, I wrote to say I couldn't make it but wanted to meet you so you agreed to breakfast. You met me and two of my friends, and we just talked about Repairman Jack and took some picture, it's still one of the true highlights of my life.
This is not a question, I just had to tell you about my last year in the military.
Some bad things happened my final deployment and I came back with some scars physically and psychologically. Psychologically enough so that I needed some major counseling. The military counselors weren't skilled enough for how I was feeling, I was eventually put on suicide watch and sent to a specialist that works with severely depressed PTSD types. And for the first three weeks or so I couldn't really be reached, I didn't want to eat or fall asleep, especially fall asleep, because every time I did I would see the most horrific images.
After three weeks my counselor decided on a new approach, as we sat in one of our many 4 hour long sessions he asked me if I liked action adventure type stories or movies, when I said yes he asked me if I had a favorite one. Somebody that had to kill in his line of work. Obviously my first and only answer was Repairman Jack. I gave him a brief synopsis of Jack and the things he did for a living. All the questions began to be based around what Jack's reaction to my experiences if he were in my shoes would have been.
And for some reason I don't entirely understand, this fictional character began to make me feel infinitely better. I started to realize that Jack after seeing what I saw would have seen it as a life or death situation, not something that he enjoyed doing but in order to survive it had to be done. I had to cling to the character's response for a long time to get myself out of the mindset I was in, but eventually I began to feel better about it myself. Time really does heal all wounds. And now I'm mostly back to normal, I accept what happened as a necessity for survival, and it was war, and there are unfortunately casualties.
I thought it was important for you to know all this though, that not only did your character entertain many, many people, but it probably saved at least one life. Anyways I realize that this was probably never your intention but I thought that you might like to hear about it. Thank you.
Hey Mr. Wilson, we met about five years ago while I was in the navy. When you came to Comic Con down in San Diego, I wrote to say I couldn't make it but wanted to meet you so you agreed to breakfast. You met me and two of my friends, and we just talked about Repairman Jack and took some picture, it's still one of the true highlights of my life.
This is not a question, I just had to tell you about my last year in the military.
Some bad things happened my final deployment and I came back with some scars physically and psychologically. Psychologically enough so that I needed some major counseling. The military counselors weren't skilled enough for how I was feeling, I was eventually put on suicide watch and sent to a specialist that works with severely depressed PTSD types. And for the first three weeks or so I couldn't really be reached, I didn't want to eat or fall asleep, especially fall asleep, because every time I did I would see the most horrific images.
After three weeks my counselor decided on a new approach, as we sat in one of our many 4 hour long sessions he asked me if I liked action adventure type stories or movies, when I said yes he asked me if I had a favorite one. Somebody that had to kill in his line of work. Obviously my first and only answer was Repairman Jack. I gave him a brief synopsis of Jack and the things he did for a living. All the questions began to be based around what Jack's reaction to my experiences if he were in my shoes would have been.
And for some reason I don't entirely understand, this fictional character began to make me feel infinitely better. I started to realize that Jack after seeing what I saw would have seen it as a life or death situation, not something that he enjoyed doing but in order to survive it had to be done. I had to cling to the character's response for a long time to get myself out of the mindset I was in, but eventually I began to feel better about it myself. Time really does heal all wounds. And now I'm mostly back to normal, I accept what happened as a necessity for survival, and it was war, and there are unfortunately casualties.
I thought it was important for you to know all this though, that not only did your character entertain many, many people, but it probably saved at least one life. Anyways I realize that this was probably never your intention but I thought that you might like to hear about it. Thank you.
FPW
FAQ
"It means 'Ask the next question.' Ask the next question, and the one that follows that, and the one that follows that. It's the symbol of everything humanity has ever created." Theodore Sturgeon.
Wow.
I can see why FPW is bewildered a bit; but I can also understand this young man using Repairman Jack as a proxy to explore his own emotional responses to the harsh realities of war. Kind of ingenious of the therapist to choose that method. Hey, whatever works. In any event, I am glad the peace of mind this young man seeked has been attained and am also grateful that those two wars are receding in our nation's rearview mirror and will soon be nothing more than memories.
