Wounded Warriors blog

Working on this set of reports has really opened up my eyes about the problems a large number of our veterans face. The Pentagon estimates a third of those coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are having symptoms similar to P.T.S.D. or traumatic brain injury.

That's an astounding number if you sit back and think about it.

After speaking with a number of those suffering from P.T.S.D. it's clear that it affects them in every aspect of the lives. One of the men featured in my stories told me about being at work and hearing a fire drill. He would jump to the floor and look for cover. It might look funny from a co-workers stand point, but this man says when he hits the deck it's in complete fear for his life.

He also says he visits Vietnam every night in his dreams and wakes up sweating from fear. His wife has also endured years of isolation. She says some days her husband would come home and go right to his room shutting the door until it was time to sleep. He just wanted to be left alone. When she would try to tell him something wasn't right, he would lash out at her saying she had the problem.

I also had the opportunity to spend some time with recent veterans who were injured both physically and from P.T.S.D. They would talk about suddenly slipping into rages of anger for no apparent reason. They said they just want to get back to their way of life before they went to war.

Many times I've heard the saying war is hell. It's hard not to draw that conclusion after speaking to these troops trying to find some sort of normalcy. But at the same time I asked all the young veterans if going over to Iraq was worth it and they all said yes. So I'll repeat the advice of one of the older veterans I interviewed. He basically said no matter how you feel about the war don't take it out on the warriors. "These guys deserve to be treated like heroes."

I've also seen the results of those getting the help they need. And it really is making a difference.