Vietnam Vet and Burlington Police Officer takes on PTSD

Finding the hidden wounds of war
By Bruce Coulter
Tue Jul 15, 2008, 03:45 PM EDT
Burlington -
George Devlin learned a lot about dealing with harrowing situations long before he donned the uniform of the Burlington Police Department.

While serving a 13-month tour of duty in Vietnam with the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, he saw many broken bodies. Limbs, if they were still attached, were often askew in positions unthinkable. He was also a witness to death on both sides.

As was the case with returning veterans during the Vietnam War, and as it is now with veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq, many of the men and women in uniform come home fully intact – physically. But all too many came home with invisible wounds that friends and family were not able to recognize.

Whether it’s called shell shock, as it was in World War I, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as we now know it, the memories and nightmares tear at the fabric of America’s combat veterans.

One writer called it the “hidden cost of George Bush’s war.” We know it as suicide.

In December, the Department of Veterans Affairs was taken to task by Congress after Ira Katz, the VA’s chief for mental health, insisted the number of veterans attempting suicide was exaggerated by the media.

At a recent hearing by the House Veterans Committee, Congressman Robert Filner, chairman of the committee, said the VA has ignored suicide data or attempted to cover up the numbers.

The end result of the hearing doesn’t really matter if veterans don’t receive the help they need. The number of veterans committing suicide will continue to grow for the unforeseeable future.

That’s what Devlin hopes to put a stop to, including a trend, which is not unique to veterans, of what is called “suicide by cop.”

Devlin came home with his share of demons, but considers himself fortunate.

“I came from a good family and had a spiritual background,” he said recently.

Just as important, Devlin added, is that he returned home with his best friend, retired police Lt. William Faria.

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