You've all seen the television public service announcement for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the one with the soldier arriving at the empty airport (the one that always makes me cry). The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published a story about the real soldier who is featured in the video. His name is name is Bryan Adams, and his real-life story of coming home is one that is common for veterans returning from combat. In the article Adams tells of returning home from Iraq, after being there in 2005-2006, and realizing how the experience (which included being shot) had changed him.
"When he left the Army, Adams remembered still being 'hyper-alert, constantly on edge and restless. I wasn't interested in the same things,' he said. 'Everyone else was having fun, but I couldn't feel anything. I had no emotions.'"
Fortunately, he got assistance from other veterans on the website communityofveterans.org, a place where fellow soldiers provide help and encouragement on getting through the difficult adjustment problems that are part of transferring from combat to civilian life.
The website emphasizes that the psychological injuries that come from combat are real, they happen a lot, and that there is effective treatment.
Link: Web site helps welcome vets home
IAVA's Legislative Associate Tom Tarantino says no one comes back from combat unchanged. His group pushes Congress to increase the treatment capacity that the VA offers for non-visible injuries. He speaks about it in a CNN interview (below) where it is also stated that 20% of Iraq War veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that combat veterans under the age of 30 are 6.72 times more likely to be binge drinkers than they would have been otherwise.
Ryan Conklin visited the IAVA headquarters in New York during The Real World Brooklyn.
