Zane Floyd is a Marine Corps Veteran, who enlisted following his completion of high school. He served in the 1990’s and was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His service took place during a period of increased tension between the US and Cuban Government, resulting in frequent live combat situations for Mr. Floyd. For Zane Floyd, an individual with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his experience of childhood trauma and abuse and FASD, these experiences would significantly worsen his PTSD.
Research by the Death Penalty Information Center has shown that many Veterans, like Mr. Floyd, who face the death penalty struggle with PTSD from their life and/or time in the service. Roughly 10% of the people on death rows across the nation served in the military in some capacity. The experiences gained while serving and the symptoms of PTSD can make it hard for Veterans to return to civilian life, many of whom never receive the support they need to transition successfully after their service. Unfortunately for Mr. Floyd, his PTSD went undiagnosed and untreated following his service.
Many of us are aware of how PTSD can be caused and the general concept of an anxiety disorder, but may not realize all of the ways it can impact someone day to day. Take a look below to better understand some of the most common symptoms of PTSD.
INtrusive Thoughts
- Repeated, involuntary memories.
- Distressing dreams.
- Flashbacks of the traumatic event.
- May be so vivid that people feel they are re-living the experience or seeing it unfold before their eyes.
Avoiding Reminder of the event
- This may include avoiding people, places, activities, objects and situations that may trigger distressing memories.
- Trying to avoid remembering or thinking about the traumatic event.
- They may resist talking about what happened or how they feel about it.
Alterations in cognition and mood
- Negative thoughts and feelings leading to ongoing and distorted beliefs about oneself or others (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted”).
- Distorted thoughts about the cause or consequences of the event leading to wrongly blaming self or other.
- Ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt or shame.
- Feeling detached or estranged from others.
- Unable to experience positive emotions (a void of happiness or satisfaction).
Alterations in arousal and reactivity
- Arousal and reactive symptoms may include being irritable and having angry outbursts.
- Behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way.
- Being overly watchful of one’s surroundings in a suspecting way; being easily startled; having problems concentrating or sleeping.
The implications of PTSD are broad and for an individual with the lifetime of trauma and abuse that Zane Floyd endured should have been considered by a jury of his peers before he received his death sentence. If you agree that Marine Corps Veteran, Zane Floyd deserves mercy and compassion join our call for clemency with the link below.
