Returning US veterans' lives shattered: the growing toll of PTSD

The violence of war is transferred to veterans lives at home where they confront a myriad of problems, not the least of which comes in the form of the bureaucracy at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). PTSD sufferers are often unable to hold down a job, are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, have relationship problems, and suffer from insomnia, depression and a host of other problems. The scarcity and under-funding of VA services have left thousands of veterans with PTSD isolated and despairing. With seemingly nowhere to turn to deal with their condition, many have taken their own lives.

With increasing frequency, the stories of veterans with PTSD have made the news in hometown papers. These accounts are now being reported more regularly in newspapers like the Army Times and the Marine Corps Times, publications with wide readerships among soldiers, veterans and their families.

On July 8, Army Times published a story on Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer, an Iraq war veteran. A medic, Doc Dwyer made headlines in the early days of the US invasion of Iraq as his image was captured by a Military Times photographer as he ran through a battle zone carrying a small boy named Ali. The photo ran in newspapers across the country, hailed as a portrait of the heart behind the U.S. military machine, according to Army Times.

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