Chapter one: A former sergeant's personal hell
Sgt. Loyd Sawyer joined the Army to bring honor to death. For years, he had worked as a funeral home director, and his children learned that death was part of the normal cycle of life. Read more »
About this project
This project was funded in part by The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.
This series uses the experiences of several troops suffering from PTSD to delve into the biology of the disorder; substance abuse among victims; the stress that the disorder places on spouses and children; treatment options and availability; the specter of suicide among PTSD sufferers; what current research may mean for the future, and many other issues.
PUEBLO, Colo. — Army Spc. Ashley Morris leaned low toward her notebook, her voice wavering as she read from it. "Amani," she read. "I hear her name often in my dreams."
Morris, 22, stumbled over the words. But sharing her painful memories with other young vets haunted by war helps her heal.
The beautiful, 10-year-old Amani had come to the Baghdad emergency room where Morris worked as a surgical tech. The young Iraqi girl had been set on fire — apparently by her own parents. The burns damaged the girl's leg beyond saving.
"We see her muscle," Morris read, her voice growing stronger. "It's dead. I hand the doctor the saw and hold her leg. I hear a snap and feel my hands get heavier. I feel I am throwing away her innocence."
After months of therapy, two trips to a hospital psychiatric ward and a continuous cycle of ups and downs with his family, all of it spinning out of his post-traumatic stress disorder, former Army Sgt. Loyd Sawyer remained in the basement — both literally and figuratively.
When Sgt. Loyd Sawyer arrived at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Va., after threatening to slit his throat in front of his company's orderly room, he got just what he needed.
Sgt. Erik Dexter began noticing changes in his battle buddy's behavior almost immediately. Erik and Sgt. Loyd Sawyer had joined the Army in 2004. That's not all they had in common — they both had backgrounds as civilian funeral directors, and had children about the same age.
Chapter one: A former sergeant's personal hell
Sgt. Loyd Sawyer joined the Army to bring honor to death. For years, he had worked as a funeral home director, and his children learned that death was part of the normal cycle of life. Read more »
Pfc. David Anderson, 25, deployed to Taji, Iraq, in 2007, serving as a gunner in an infantry unit even though he'd been trained in communications. Read more »
PTSD: An Army colonel’s quest for answers
Army Col. Rich O’Connor does not mince words when he talks about the amount of mental health training he had before he took a squadron in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to war in Iraq’s Diyalah province in 2006. Read more »
Dream therapy a coping tool for combat stress
For 1½ years, Cmdr. Beverly Dexter’s husband gently shook her awake when she screamed in her sleep. But one night, even as she begged him to wake her up in an unusual case of sleep-talking, he let her continue her nightmare. Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving closer to simplifying the process for many veterans to link post-traumatic stress disorder to their military service, whether in a war zone or not, which opens the door for disability benefits. Read more »
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The legacy of traumatic stress and the military
In the Civil War, when soldiers came back angry, sad or agitated after fighting brothers and cousins on the battlefield, doctors said they had "soldier's heart." Read More »
Exposure to combat can spark several mental health diagnoses, and often they appear together — for example, people who have post-traumatic stress disorder often also suffer from depression or substance abuse. Read More »
No Purple Heart for PTSD, Pentagon rules
The Purple Heart will not be awarded to service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. Read More »