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BEGINNING THE HEALING: DURBIN SPEAKS TO LOCAL VETS ABOUT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

BY NICOLE SACK
The Southern

Saturday, April 2, 2005 6:56 AM CST

CARTERVILLE - Gen. George S. Patton was almost court martialed for slapping a World War II soldier in the infirmary who claimed he could no longer take the shelling and the bombing of combat. Patton thought the man was just being a coward.

It was likely, however, the solider was suffering from "shell shock," or post-traumatic stress disorder.

The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was created within the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1989, in response to a Congressional mandate to address the needs of veterans with military-related PTSD.

The psychiatric disorder follows the experience or witness of life-threatening events such as military combat. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged. The symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily life.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., will introduce a bill in the coming weeks requiring the VA to immediately strengthen its PTSD services for veterans and their families.

At John A. Logan College Friday morning, Durbin sat down with a four young soldiers who had been affected - both directly and indirectly - by PTSD.

Benjamin Jones of Du Quoin, who served in Iraq from January to June 2003, took part in some of the most brutal aspects of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"I was in the infantry; my job was to fight," Jones said. "We had a lot of casualties. I had to pick up several of my friends piece by piece. I had to kill women, children, old men - everyone."

Since returning back to civilian life, he was diagnosed with PTSD. Getting help from the Marion VA, however, has been difficult he said. Jones refuses to take medications for his condition, but the wait to see a VA counselor can take up to three months.

"I haven't had a chance for therapy," Jones said.

Jones said most all of his buddies are also experiencing the same struggles.

According to a study published in July 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine, one in five veterans is returning home from the Middle East with PTSD. A report released in September by the Government Accountability Office estimates the VA is treating up to 244,000 patients suffering with PTSD. Officials at six of the seven VA facilities visited by the GAO reported they may not be able to meet the increased demand for PTSD services caused by the war in Iraq.

Stephanie Stretch, a national guardsman in the 233rd based in Springfield, also served in the Iraq War

from April 2003 to April 2004. She said that since she has been home, for a year, she has seen a doctor only twice.

"There are really good doctors at the VA, but they just don't have the time," Stretch said.

Justin Bandy of DeSoto, who served in the same unit as Stretch, said his symptoms are not severe. He has  nightmares and has a difficult time dealing with large crowds and loud noises. He said PTSD starts during combat, but the Army just tells soldiers to "deal with it."

Coming home with the additional baggage caused by the horrors of war is painful for a solider to live with.

"You want to be strong, you want to be the rock for your family," Bandy said. "But sometimes you can't be."

Durbin's proposed bill will require every VA medical center to establish a "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder clinical team" of medical professionals trained to deal with PTSD. It also directs the VA to include a family therapist at every vet center and a coordinator for PTSD in every VA region.

"PTSD can happen to the bravest warriors. It can and does happen to the toughest warriors. PTSD is also not new. In the Civil War, it was called ‘soldier's heart.' In World War II, they called it ‘shell shock.' Today we know what PTSD is and how to treat it," Durbin said.

"Some of the deepest wounds suffered in war are not visible. And some of those who suffer the deepest losses never step onto a battlefield. They are the spouses and children who are left behind. As the war in Iraq enters its third year, we must care for all the families who have borne the most terrible cost of this war."

nicole.sack@thesouthern.com

618-529-5454x5816