After two men from the same unit killed themselves, maddening questions about life take their place for those who remain.
Healthcare
Posted inReflections
“It Is Cancer”—Reflecting on My Husband’s Diagnosis After Going to War
In the VA’s emergency room, Molly Pearl and her husband made the imperceptible shift between soldier and patient, wife and caregiver.
Posted inReflections
An Army Officer and the Wounded Girl in the Little Blue Jumper
Melissa Thomas held the little girl in her lap as their Humvee sped to meet the helicopter, uttering “English-nonsense” to keep the child from passing out.
Posted inReflections
My Therapy Dog’s Name Is Fern And She Taught Me Gratitude
Anxiety over the military sexual trauma she withstood plagued Rachael Harris when she came home. Her adopted dog, Fern, barreled through those walls.
Posted inReflections
“The Electric Hurricane”—My Panic Attacks After War Started Slowly
Peter Lucier’s first panic attack came on like an electric hurricane, blowing him back years to an IED blast site in Afghanistan.
Posted inReflections
Learning to Breathe Through the Journey of Addiction and PTSD
Heroin allowed Jenny Pacanowski to escape her PTSD in small doses. To get sober she had to deal with her trauma head-on, or accept that she would die.
Posted inNewsroom
Rebuilding Honor: How Kyle Carpenter Came Back From The Brink Of Death
Seven years ago this month Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter suffered grievous wounds after shielding another Marine from a grenade blast in Afghanistan. Somehow, he survived. This is the story of his remarkable recovery.
Posted inReflections
Losing Sense Of Self One Suicide At A Time
Gerardo Mena reunites with his Marine brethren to remember another brother lost to suicide. They tell him goodbye — losing one more part of themselves, knowing it could have been one of them.
