My wife googled this place and said I should post here. I don't know if I should but here I am.

For background I'm a state department member stationed in baghdad. I've been here 6 months and the past two weeks have been bad. We've been hit inside our embassy compound daily around 20 times a day with 107mm's and 240mm's.

So it's been bad.

I haven't read most of this forum (I'm sorry) so I'll tell what I've felt.

I was actually fine here for months. When I first got here a rocket went over my head and it made a whistling sound. I thought it sounded like a movie noise until it landed 150ft away and I threw myself to the ground. Recently during the post easter attacks a rocket whizzed over my head and slammed 50 feet away. it actually picked me up and slammed me into the ground.

It was all fun and games until that point. From that point on I hear the C-RAM (counter rocket and mortar) sirens everywhere I go. I hear explosions every time somebody slams a door. I'm fine until a sudden noise happens and it freaks me out bad. I don't outwardly show anything but when it happens my heart jumps into my throat and I panic for a second. This happens once or twice a day since this has stopped and it hasn't shown any sign of stopping.

Specifically I'm worried about this long term. I don't want to freak out when a door slams or a car backfires. I don't want to think that a firecracker is about to spray shrapnel at me and I don't want to have a heart attack when I hear a siren.

I'm functional and not a basket case but I know this isn't normal and I don't know how to handle this. I know this is my first post but dayam.


Any advice?