Exorcizing the demons of war that come home with the warrior

Brown: Exorcizing the demons of war that come home with the warrior
By BOB BROWN

Special to the Star-Telegram

Our brave men and women in uniform have risked life and limb and made unimagined sacrifices to defend our country. Many return to lead happy productive lives. But for some the horrors of war leave crippling scars on their souls.

This is not new. We called it shell shock suffered by the airborne trooper who jumped in Normandy, battle fatigue for the Navy gunny who piloted boats up the rivers of Vietnam and now post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by the Texas Guard medic after her third tour in Iraq. Among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, PTSD and major depression are as real as a gunshot wound and strike 1 in 5 service members nationally.

These combat veterans deal with their experiences and memories differently, but they all must face them. The effects of their experiences may manifest themselves in nightmares, anger, family violence, criminal activity, job problems, relationship problems, and self-medication with alcohol or drugs. These warriors deserve nothing less than our fully resourced effort to fight those demons they brought home with them. Today we know these problems can be addressed with adequate mental health treatments.

Texas has more than 1.6 million veterans, almost half a million of whom have served in the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. In Tarrant County alone, there are more than 125,000 veterans, many of whom need treatment for PTSD, addictions or other mental health problems directly related to their combat service.



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