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This Is Our Story & Why We Do This
Joe left in January 2003 and was in the first wave of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He deployed to Iraq in March 2003. It wasn’t until the following February that he returned home for his first leave, was sent back to Iraq and completed his duty in April 2004. When he got off the plane, he looked as healthy as I had ever seen him. Strong, muscular and walking with confidence as people stopped to shake his hand and thank him for his duty to our country. It "appeared" that he had weathered the storm well. I was vigilant, but relieved to think that my son was not only home and alive, but that he did not bear any of the scars of battle that I had feared. Currently, Joe is 100% disabled with what has been labeled PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and major depression. He lives at home, even though he would rather be on his own. He cannot currently work, even though he would give anything to be able to do so. He isolates in his room because of his disorder. He is frustrated because in his heart he wants to be a "normal", but his mind and body fight against him so fiercely that he is disabled. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Oklahoma, my fate has been to have a full understanding of mental illness from a professional level and to live "up close and personal" with it as a mother of an OIF Veteran.
This website is designed specifically for family and friends of American Veterans. As I searched for anything I could to find guidance, hope and comfort, I began to realize that everything seemed impersonal, complicated or minimized the severity of the problem. So, this website is my hope and effort is to share information, support, and encouragement for those who watched their soldier leave to serve our country and return as a different person. I am finding that despite the overwhelming sorrow of the loss of the son I once knew, that there is opportunity for great healing and change for him, our family and our country. My prayer is that you too, will feel a sense of hope through the connections and information provided in this web site.
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In
January of 2003, my 19 year old Army Reserve son, announced to me that he
volunteered for duty in Iraq and would be leaving in 24 hours. The war had
not officially begun, but both 9/11 and Afghanistan were fresh on my heart
and mind and so was the uncertainty of his safety and return home. 