Another Quick Thought About a Ride at Disneyland: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Set in Fantasyland, usually reserved for children, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride might seem innocent at first glance. Yet, when you look closer at attractions like Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, and Sleeping Beauty, you'll find that many of these stories have darker, more twisted elements.

From a veteran’s perspective, Mr. Toad's adventure takes on a different meaning. In the ride, Mr. Toad drives his car erratically, loses control, and crashes into a warehouse full of explosives. The resulting explosion leads to a traumatic brain injury and, likely, PTSD.

To cope, he begins drinking more than usual and ultimately gets pulled over for DUI. A judge then throws the book at him. Distraught over both his mental health issues and his legal troubles, Mr. Toad makes the tragic decision to end his life by driving onto a railroad track. When a train hits him, he descends into hell, tormented by demons—the end.

There's no redemptive arc, no happy ending—just brain injury, substance abuse, legal issues, suicide, and hell. And for too many veterans, this reflects their reality (hopefully without the hell part).

Keep in mind that beneath the tough exterior we were trained to present in combat, there are souls desperately trying to engage with society, to experience laughter, joy, tears, and sorrow once more. These are the softer, more uncontrollable emotions we learned to suppress during our careers, as they didn’t serve us in survival.

Please be patient with us.