Iowa National Guards Soldier get briefings on PTSD coming home

Iowans At War: Soldiers Turn In Their Guns and Gear

Sonya Heitshusen
Reporter
9:29 p.m. CDT, July 20, 2011



A chartered plane lands in the stormy night at Volk Airfield in Wisconsin. It's carrying about 200 Soldiers from the Iowa National Guard's 113th Cavalry. The 16 hour flight is just the beginning of their journey back to their families.

After a personal greeting from some of the Guard's top brass, the Soldiers line up for buses, waiting to take them to their next stop, a garage. Here, they will part with one of their closest companions.

In addition to the physical screenings, all Soldiers receive a mental health evaluation. They must also attend briefings on how to identify Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"If you get home and you're having feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness and you don't know where to go, you can always go to your local emergency room," says a Chaplain leading a debrief.

Lt. Col. Sutton notes the difference between PTSD and Post Traumatic Stress. She says every Soldier experiences stress. PTSD is diagnosed when a Soldier experience behavioral disorders like nightmares and hyper-vigilance for more than two months.

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Soldiers Turn In Their Guns and Gear