Not the man I used to be: Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with PTSD
Gannett Wisconsin Media
Written by
Colleen Kottke
Oct. 10, 2013
When Simon Bertholf, Matt Rose and Tony Phillips were sent overseas, they had no idea the events they experienced in the Middle East would haunt them a decade later.
While they appear normal to the casual observer, each has been forever changed by the death, atrocities and pain witnessed firsthand during their tours of duty.
“Just because we look fine doesn’t mean there isn’t anything wrong,” said Navy veteran Simon Bertholf of Virginia Beach, Va. “I can be talking to someone for a short time and be absolutely sure they have no idea of what I’m struggling with. But that doesn’t mean that when I’m alone or asleep or actively engaged in something that takes all of my focus, that those things don’t come back.”
Bertholf, 40, said symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appeared soon after he returned from his third tour of duty in the Middle East. As a Special Forces soldier, Bertholf was often tasked with handling the fallout after roadside bombings. It would be years until he was formally diagnosed with PTSD.
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