Wounded Iraq warrior fights for normal life

Wounded Iraq warrior fights for normal life
Columbia Army medic’s sons, Fort Jackson program spur his recovery from post-traumatic stress, injuries
By CHUCK CRUMBO - ccrumbo@thestate.com
Army Spc. Chris Hussey survived five bombings and a rocket attack while serving a yearlong tour in Iraq as a combat medic.

The Columbia soldier, who received two Purple Hearts, has waged a fierce fight to regain normalcy in his life.

Other than a 1-inch scar below his left eye, the 5-foot-10-inch Hussey, who keeps his blond hair cut short, military-style, did not suffer other visible wounds.

But nightmares and flashbacks wrecked his sleep. The hyper-vigilance he needed to survive in combat controlled him whenever he left his apartment.

His memory went haywire, causing him to forget his buddies’ names or what his house looked like.

“There was a point when I started thinking that I was losing my marbles,” the 40-year-old soldier said.

Eventually diagnosed with both mild traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, Hussey entered the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Jackson in December 2007.

It is one of 36 units the Army established in 2007 after media reports revealed problems with the housing and care wounded troops received at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
go here for more
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/754036.html