I am the spouse of a disabled OIF Veteran, a wonderful man that deployed to Iraq as a vibrant committed soldier in 2004 and returned home in 2005 a broken spirit, and irreparably psychologically damaged. The role of the Combat Veteran spouse can be a lonely one often feeling isolated and challenged to the point of breaking it is easy to wonder if you are doing the right thing by your wounded warrior. Up and down the country, families are fighting these private battles. The only way to provide support and awareness is by addressing these issues in the public arena and having the courage to overcome the stigma and secrecy families coping with Combat PTSD feel

Eric, Laura and Michael

Laura and Michael from Arkansas

Eric, a specialist in the Army was deployed to Iraq in 2005. Upon his return he was diagnosed with PTSD by a civilian physchiatrist and given two medications, a sleep-aid and an anti-depressant. With four months left to go in the Army and suffering from PTSD he was stop-lossed and set to deploy back to Iraq. According to Eric, the Army offered him a 90 day supply of his meds and the guarantee that he could get more in the field when those ran out. Eric didn’t deploy with his unit, instead he stayed home in Arkansas with his family. Eric was now AWOL.  In December of 2009 I sat with Eric and his parents on the day before he turned himself in to the MP’s at Ft Hood. Below are some excerpts from that interview.