ABSTRACT
Hearing the voice of Charles Figley, the editor of this volume, on November 30, 2003, was most enlivening. For some years, I had exchanged no information with any of my colleagues in the Veterans Administration (VA) or with any of the former patients whom I saw with the condition of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As soon as Professor Figley reintroduced himself, I knew what he would ask me. I knew he had the editing of a new book in mind and would I, if possible, contribute something to it. There was some doubt in my mind as to whether this could be done. But with encouragement from my children, it seemed to me that such a step might be most stimulating and perhaps informative. I recalled his great contributions and the organizations of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). Dr. Figley informed me that he had called to learn whether I might make a contribution to a new volume on the history of research into PTSD. It was his hope that those who had received the Pioneer Award from the society or comparable distinctions would be willing to undertake the writing of autobiographical chapters that pertained to the development of the ideas in relation to the subject of the award.
