North Dakota National Guard soldiers with PTSD

Soldiers with PTSD

Dec 12 2008 7:08PM
KXMBTV Bismarck
When a soldier returns home after being deployed the sacrifices are not over for many of them...

Since 2001 over four thousand North Dakota National Guard soldiers and airman have been deployed.

And according to national statistics nearly 1 in 5 of all military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD.

Donnell Preskey has one soldiers story...

A year ago Major Stephen Herda was recovering from a rocket attack in Iraq... (Stephen Herda) "injured left lower leg, thigh, chin as result was evacuated out of theatre." While his wounds have healed he can tell he still suffers with a less visible injury... PTSD..

"Now that I'm back at job and doing what normally do - a lot of little things add stress and when it gets to a point, I'll have a panic attack. Major Herda says his Post Tramatic Stress Disorder symptoms are different from even two other soldiers injured in the same attack

"I don't relive the event, the other indiv. couldn't get it out of his head for the first 3 months. He couldn't sleep, has trouble eating, every time closed eyes he was in a 30 sec loop of hearing sirens, explosion of the rocket and feeling the injury." What's helped Herda is talking about how he was injured, what he did in Iraq and how his unit was making a difference in the country

"Being able to tell my story has helped a lot in the healing process." Now he's more cautious, more aware of his surroundings and staying away from anything that may trigger memories.
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