“But she’s got a warrior’s skills: hyperawareness, hypervigilance, adrenaline-sharp quick-scanning for danger, for triggers. “

This is a definition claim defining hyperawareness, hypervigilance, adrenaline-sharp quick-scanning for danger as warrior skill.

This is also a categorical claim because it categorizes these traits as things that Brannan has.

where he served in the infantry as a designated marksman

Categorical claim categorizing Caleb in the military

He’s one of 103,200, or 228,875, or 336,000 Americans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and came back with PTSD, depending on whom you ask, and one of 115,000 to 456,000 with traumatic brain injury.

Categorical claim categorizing the disabilities Caleb has

Hypervigilance sounds innocuous, but it is in fact exhaustingly distressing, a conditioned response to life-threatening situations

Definition claim defining hypervigilance as conditioned as well as only to life threatening situations

Caleb has been home since 2006, way more than enough time for Brannan to catch his symptoms

Definition claim defining how much time is needed to catch symptoms of PTSD

news is often a trigger

Definition claim defining news as a trigger for PTSD episodes

Their German shepherd, a service dog trained to help veterans with PTSD

Categorical claim categorizing their dog as a service dog and as a german shepherd

“She has not, unlike military wives she advises…”

Categorical claim categorizing Brannan from other military wives

plunging the living room back into its usual necessary darkness.

Definition claim defining the darkness as necessary

Brannan is 32 now, but in her portraits with the big white dress and lacy veil she’s not even old enough to drink

Categorical claim categorizing Brannan by age

Now, he’s rounder, heavier, bearded, and long-haired, obviously tough even if he weren’t prone to wearing a COMBAT INFANTRYMAN cap, but still not the guy you picture when you see his “Disabled Veteran” license plates. Not the old ‘Nam guy with a limp, or maybe the young legless Iraq survivor, that you’d expect.

Categorical claim categorizing Caleb as he’s rounder, heavier, bearded, and long-haired, obviously tough.

Definition claim defining disabled veteran

Definition claim defining what we’d expect

Some hypotheses for why PTSD only tortures some trauma victims blame it on unhappily coded proteins, or a misbehaving amygdala, family history, or maybe previous trauma.

Categorical claim categorizing these things as possible causes of PTSD

Whatever is happening to Caleb, it’s as old as war itself.

Categorical claim categorizing PTSD as old as war

The ancient historian Herodotus told of Greeks being honorably dismissed for being “out of heart” and “unwilling to encounter danger.” Civil War doctors, who couldn’t think of any other thing that might be unpleasant about fighting the Civil War but homesickness, diagnosed thousands with “nostalgia.” Later, it was deemed “irritable heart.” In World War I it was called “shell shock.” In World War II, “battle fatigue.”

Definition claim defining old terms for PTSD

Granted, diagnosing PTSD is a tricky thing. The result of a malfunctioning nervous system that fails to normalize after trauma and instead perpetrates memories and misfires life-or-death stress for no practical reason, it comes in a couple of varieties, various complexities, has causes ranging from one lightning-fast event to drawn-out terrors or patterns of abuse

Definition claim defining PTSD