Canada
Mother fights for soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU CHIEF
The mother of a 24-year-old soldier who returned from Afghanistan sleepless, agitated and suicidal arrives on Parliament Hill today to press for better care for troops with severe psychological battle scars.
Ann LeClair of Sarnia said her son, Cpl. Travis Schouten, returned from Kandahar in the fall of 2006 a "changed man." She said the Canadian Forces is not doing enough to help soldiers like him who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She will testify in-camera today before MPs on the Commons defence committee studying the scope of the problem.
When Schouten returned from tour of duty, he started drinking heavily and became easily frustrated and angry. The gunner based at CFB Petawawa suffered nightmares, depression and wanted to be left alone. Eventually LeClair gave up her job to care for him.
"He didn't want to sleep anymore because he didn't want the dreams," she said. "We had to leave the lights on for him at night."
Schouten's depression eventually led to a two-day vanishing act and an attempt to kill himself with a mix of pills and alcohol. LeClair said she has been battling the military for help ever since.
go here for more
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/Afghan/2008/04/08/5222756-sun.html
I too continuee to suffer, godspeed it is an uphill battle, never mind the political aspect... There is always a glimmer of hope.
ReplyDeleteThere is always hope. That's what allows us to get up every morning. There is a lot more hope now than there ever was for veterans with PTSD because there has never been this much attention on it from the media. 25 years ago, nada! There were reports here and there over the years but all this attention has the wounded finally talking about it and thus will remove the stigma of it. Politics? The only thing politics has to do with any of this is that the politicians send men and women to risk their lives but find it absolutely impossible to take care of the wounded created by what they do.
ReplyDelete