The 19th annual Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice will be presented on Saturday, May 7, 2011, to Dr. Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D., for his work studying and understanding the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans of the Vietnam War, and for bringing to public attention the specific causes, effects, and complex realities of war-induced psychological injury. http://bo.st/gpxEtZ
Like those who spoke out against the Witch Trials in 1692, it is his voice and the voice of others speaking out against injustice that have changed the way the military and the public treat a group of citizens, in this case US troops who suffer from PTSD, both during active duty and after. Through his work, Dr. Shay has helped make it possible for those who serve in the military and others in the path of war with PTSD to be offered treatment so that they have an opportunity to lead a full life.
