A soldier for 38 years with missions in Afghanistan or Ivory Coast, Jean-Louis Martinez, 69, walked more than 4,000 kilometers in France to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I said to myself, I have to do something for all these psychologically injured people because a physically injured person can be seen, whereas a post-traumatic injured person can’t be seen,” explained to AFP Jean-Louis Martinez, former soldier who retired in 2011.
This 69-year-old man arrives in Marseille this Saturday, November 2 after walking 4,000 kilometers for eight months to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder, which does not only affect soldiers.
“Better awareness among the population”
Having left Colmar in Alsace on May 1, he will complete his journey at home on Sunday, in Roquefort-la-Bédoule (Bouches-du-Rhône), after a stop on Saturday in Marseille where he plans to climb the steps of the emblematic Notre-Dame basilica. Dame de la Garde, the “Good Mother” of the Marseillais, with other people suffering from PTSD.
This former soldier who walks for the war wounded stopped in Creuse
“But other professions are concerned, firefighters, law enforcement, journalists…”, notes the former soldier. Saved by drawing and writing a book, “Words for Evil”, he wanted to raise awareness among the population and decided to travel across France on foot, backpacking, to talk about it. Over the course of the journey, documented on his Facebook and Instagram pages, “kms to soothe their ills”, residents hosted him, walked a part of the way with him or offered him a snack, even if it meant making a detour of several tens of kilometers, he told AFP.
“If someone tells me that there is no solidarity in France, I say it’s not true”
Jean-Louis Martinez (former soldier aged 69)
While he recognizes that the army has made a lot of progress in helping mentally injured active soldiers and their families, he warns about soldiers, police officers, gendarmes or firefighters who have retired, as these problems can arise years later.
The prevalence of PTSD is estimated to be 5 to 12%
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after a traumatic event. It results in moral suffering and physical complications which profoundly alter personal, social and professional life, according to the Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
The prevalence of PTSD is 5 to 12% in the general population, according to certain studies mentioned by Inserm. Some 2,800 French soldiers suffering from psychological injuries were recorded from 2010 to 2019, five times more than the number of physically injured, according to the army.
With AFP
