Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 23:09:12 -0800 (PST)
Subject: PTSD Hit my family!
To: cftmeditor@...

Hi my name is ---------- and a little over a year and a half ago my boyfriend was severely injured when an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) ripped through his humvee and threw it into the air while on a night mission outside Camp Taji in Iraq.  He suffered a spinal cord injury and L1 through L3 burst fractures as well as nerve damage in his left leg and both of his heels and ankles were shattered while his right foot was left very mangled and ripped open from the blast.  He has underwent many surgeries since his return back to the states and recently he had his right leg just below the knee amputated.  He was in too much pain to keep it.  Was one of the hardest decisions someone could make.  Since he has been back and trying to recover we have been through so much from the birth of our son and his mother's unfortunate suicide to the military screwing us over and acting like they done want to help us.  The past two years have been a roller coaster of less than desirable events and alot of stress and unnecessary bullying by the military.  They are going out of their way to make sure that he doesnt get the proper pay, and backpay, promotions, and financial help.  He cant work obviously and I am taking care of two children and him.  The military must be crazy or not care.  I'm on my last ounce of tolerance here and its so sad that there are worse situations than ours.  I think that the nation should know that sure we support our troops in every aspect while the president might be wrong sometimes but its the individual units and military officers in their leather chairs sitting back having everything they need who are making it impossible to survive after returning home from war.  I really think that if you talk to ----, my boyfriend, you and everyone in America can begin to understand that Its not so much the PTSD making it hard to live but the crap around them that makes the PTSD difficult to tolerate.  It has hit my family hard.  The outbursts and the mood swings and the nightmares and the flashbacks.  The sudden jolts of anxiety and adrenaline pulsing through their veins when they hear a loud noise or when someone bumps into them, or when a car comes to a sudden stop.  Having to deal with anger and tension and depression and lonliness.  Being on the recieving end of PTSD is almost as bad as having it.  You become a target, a release of tension for them.  Almost as if you are the one who is responsible.  Its not easy living with someone like that.  Hopefully it gets easier.  Time will tell.  If you would like a first hand account of what has happened then .... said he would gladly participate but only under the assumption that his words  be told truthfully and accurately.  The media couldn't possibly understand what that means.  Write me back or you can call us if that would help. 

 

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