The Battle to Heal: Combating PTSD

The Battle to Heal: Combating PTSD
By Megan Strader
KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
8:49 p.m. CST, February 10, 2011

(WICHITA, Kan.) -
As father and son, Zach and Dennis Matthews share a lot of similarities. From their striking resemblance, to many of the choices they made in their lives.

"Every generation my family has served, so it was a lot to do with pride," explains Dennis.

Zach adds, "After high school it just seemed like the right thing to do so I signed up and went in."

Both entered the military, both were sent to war, both came back changed men.

"You can react to it getting angry, you can react to it with just a feeling of complete hopelessness," Zach tells Eyewitness News.

His dad adds, "most of us came home and alcohol and drugs were a real good friend of ours."

"I had a complete breakdown and my buddy's that I served with ended up helping me and getting me the help that I needed," said Zach.

"I was fortunate that I had a very close friend that took me up to the Topeka V.A. and opened the door and dropped me off. I still had a bottle of vodka in my hand, that's how bad I was," said Dennis.

Both were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dennis, years after he returned from Vietnam. Zach, just a year before being deployed to Iraq for a second time.

"I didn't know how it would effect me - if it would make it worse if it would make it better. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen."

Research shows that nearly 30% of all combat veterans will suffer from PTSD - a figure that's been pretty steady throughout most of our country's major wars.
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The Battle to Heal Combating PTSD