Cost of War column: Iraq veteran is trapped in "lonely, dark life" since coming home

Alabama Live (blog)

I am a 28-year-old veteran who had the honorable pleasure of serving with 39 other men -- 39 heroes in my eyes -- of Bravo Company, 1-167th Infantry, Alabama Army National Guard, between May 16, 2005 to May 14, 2006. In the six-and-a-half years since returning home from Iraq, our lives and the difficulties we have faced are as different as our own physical characteristics. In many combat arms veterans' eyes, to speak out about and seek help for issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression is forbidden, conflicting with the image of the hard, determined grunt emotionally numb from the horrors of the battlefield. However, no one can go through the day-to-day fear in a true war-zone environment without being somewhat vulnerable to these diseases. So this is my story.

Full Article >