Illegal fireworks evoke horror of war in vets

July 4 is now history, and with it came another bout of terror courtesy of fools with fireworks. Yes, animals are frightened, but for combat veterans, those sounds evoke the horror of war.

Those who set off those fireworks in neighborhoods have no concept of how those pops and explosions terrify vets with PTSD who have heard those sounds and saw bodies ripped apart when an RPG exploded nearby. It’s a nightmare we often have even without the help of sudden loud sounds. When the sounds are real, the nightmares become even more vivid. The ones who ignite fireworks aren’t celebrating Independence Day; they want an excuse to make noise.

Those who selfishly entertain themselves by wasting money on things that can physically harm themselves and those around them — lost fingers and eyes, burns et al — don’t care about the psychological damage done to others.

I am not against events using professionally administered fireworks in a controlled environment; those usually last only for a short period of time and stop at some reasonable hour. I am against careless individuals getting their kicks at the expense of others at all hours of the night; 3 a.m. is not the time to be lighting off an M-80 when people who already have trouble sleeping are trying to do so.

The statistics (11,000 hospital-reported injuries, four deaths in 2016) do not deter those stupid enough to waste their money on something so dangerous. If they aren’t concerned about their own safety, the knowledge of the damage done to others won’t have any effect on them, either. But I’m sure that many others — especially combat vets like myself — feel the same way I do.

There are laws. Alas, nothing is ever done to enforce them.

This story was originally published July 8, 2017 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Illegal fireworks evoke horror of war in vets."