Gallows humor heals wounded vets

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on July 28th, 2009

An article in the Washington Post looks into the role of humor in the rehabilitation of wounded war veterans and concludes that “it is often the humor– soldier to soldier, Marine to Marine, patient to patient — that in the space of a punch line can heal as well as the best medicine.”

Yes, the humor can be offensive and galling– burn victims sometimes call each other “crispy,” for example. The sphere of people who can get away with telling amputee jokes is tightly defined, and not every wounded warrior is able to crack jokes about the fact that he has a hard time going up stairs or holding a coffee cup. But for others, it’s the ultimate palliative as they move from denial to anger to acceptance.

What is truly amazing is the amount and the darkness of the gallows humor engaged in.

Patients at Walter Reed competed to print up T-shirts that capture the tone of much of the hospital hallway banter: “Buy a Marine. 25-50 percent off. Some assembly required.”

And: “Dude, where’s my leg?”

And: “I went to Iraq, lost my leg and all I got was this T-shirt.”

One of his best friends had professionally printed on his prosthetic: “I did it for the parking.”

Similar to the kind of banter one hears hanging out with newspaper reporters, EMT’s or cops. It’s inconceivable to outsiders that anyone would find such repartee humourous. One incident is recounted involving a group trading such insults while on a shopping trip with caretaker, Ross Colquhoun, whom the soldiers have dubbed the “able-bodied freak.” Outsiders overheard the jibes and were appalled.

The strangers confronted Colquhoun, who explained that they were all from Walter Reed and that, yes, the joking was raw, but that’s how they communicate. “They were dumbfounded,” he said.

Occasional SHECKYmagazine columnist Doug Hecox will perform on a comedy show at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Wednesday night. It should be interesting.

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