My Great Uncle was a WW1 veteran

[Jarqui]

10. I don't think my great uncle escaped PTSD

I think it haunted him for the rest of his life.
In his eyes. I think he felt that he was mentally unfit to be among society.
So he went off to the woods.
There were a few other veterans that did the same thing and lived alone in that area.

There was a stigma associated with it back then that you were less of a man if you got shell shock (as it was sometimes referred to back then) or PTSD as we know it today. It was a character flaw in the eyes of many back then. You weren't a courageous man - you were a chicken and that's why you were messed up.

The only thing he 'escaped' was suicide, choosing to live with his suffering so he could continue to provide for his mother and sister (who had some issues herself).