Locked in Time: I Still Remember and Always Will

By Bonnie, J Tierney

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER . . . THE SILENT AND DEADLY COST OF WAR A person with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will grasp onto anything or anyone to keep them alive, to keep them feeling good, to take away the pain, to feel anything about themselves inside. On October 23, 1983, 241 Marines were killed in their sleep during the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. For almost 30 days, Lieutenant Bonnie J. (Caceres) Tierney was the Mass Casualty Officer at Rhein Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, assigned to help identify and process the body parts. Day after day, she did her duty, while trying to detach from the horror of it all. Her first thoughts of suicide began while she was stationed in Germany. What followed was more than 20 years of depression, isolation, nightmares, panic attacks and reckless behavior, until she finally sought professional help. She was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that plagues our servicemen and servicewomen who have witnessed the unspeakable. This is Bonnie's poignant story.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1432707264
• ISBN13: 9781432707262
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Tackling PTSD--one step at a time.

I met Bonnie Tierney on October 4th, 1973. Air Force Basic Training was the first step on a journey that would change our lives forever. Bonnie and I quickly grew into the role of military women. She became the "Guide" for our Flight--the person marching alone at the front who sets the pace and keeps us on course--as we marched through the streets of Lackland. Fast-forward, 34 years later, and Bonnie is still proudly stepping out in front, leading the way for those of us with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her book is a must read for anyone suffering with this disorder, for the people who love us, for those who attempt to heal us, and for those who follow in our footsteps.

I loved reading this book, its fabulous, Kudos for Bonnie Tierney!!!

I had a wonderful time reading Bonnie's book. Call me biased I had the privilege of serving in the Air Force as an airman under Captain (then Caceres)command while we were both stationed at Blytheville Air Force Base in Arkansas. I read this book with great excitement quickly cover- to-cover and I laughed, cried, sobbed, and lastly "cheered". I loved all the stories Captain Bonnie shares with the reader all entertaining and enlightening. She tells candidly about the horror of the Marines she cared for to the myriad of her painful struggles with her sexuality, the disolution of her marriage, and her hopes for Jason her son currently serving in Iraq. What I read only confirmes what I already knew about "Captain" Bonnie when I was in the Air Force. She is plucky, she is gutsy, she is courageous, has a heart of gold, and last but not least she is a "SURVIVOR." This is a phenominal testimony of the patriotic, brave, women in the Armed Forces that have served and are serving. The reader will not be disapointed in purchasing this gem of a book! I salute Captain Bonnie one more time with all my heart and all my everlasting gratituted for all that she has accomplished, what she has given me, and with hope for those Armed Service Memebers who are suffering from PTSD will find in this book words for healing.

Every now and then........

A path crosses and a light goes on. This is the way I felt when my path crossed Bonnie Tierney's, and I was given a chance to read her work. She has opened my mind with her enlightening experiences and persistent truth as she has delved into the recedes of her past. No bars are held on this one, rather she has opened her reader up to more than just her experiences as the Casualty Officer, but instead has taken us all to the root of her very being. She has given us all an opportunity to view it as it was then, and feel it as she does now so deeply. Whether you agree with war or do not, this is a must read. For inasmuch as this is a true account of the aftermath of such an atrocity, and perhaps because of this honest endeavor to convey Ms. Tierney's feelings, we are all called to the reality of it's depths and the psychological torment of the families of the victims and those brave men and women who lay down their lives as well as their memories. I urge you to read this book and convey this urgency to your friends....For this reason I state this case and remind you that it is only.....Every now and then a path crosses......

It's time

It's time that Americans and the rest of the world understand how devestating war is to those who participate - on either side. Our soldiers, men and women, go to battle as innocent patriots - they leave scarred for life. I am a woman veteran who witnessed the results from a distance. It is not a pretty site. I did not serve in a war zone but met with the results by interacting with soldiers who returned to different stations after fighting in Vietnam. That alone was traumatic for me. I witnessed the horror of their lives. Bonnie Tierney has done a great service by describing her experience. I know it must have been a painful process for her to relive by writing. Hopefully it will bring more compassion to our soldiers and the tragedy they face as a result of doing their job. Hopefully it will bring understanding of why soldiers are "different" when they return home. Hopefully it will help people understand the psychological distress of any person who suffers from PTSD by any cause. Hopefully readers will come to understand how fragile we humans are and how fragile life itself is. Regardless of your personal position on war, or the current war, this is a must read. I'd like our politicians to read this also. It's time to wake up to the human factor and forget oil, power, money, and all of the things that seem to affect the decisions regarding modern war. I think this book is eye opening.

Great self-help for PTSD

A great book giving insights of someone living with PTSD. Hopefully it will inspire others who are suffering with PTSD to go and seek assistance.