Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge's courage getting troops to seek help for PTSD

Reduce Mental Health Stigma
Army.com - Huntsville,Al,USA
Feb. 4, 2009
By John J. Kruzel

WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge is doing his part to reduce the social stigma attached to seeking mental health treatment for war-related stress.

The general suffered from post-traumatic stress after surviving a near-death experience during his first deployment to Iraq in 2004. Now he willingly shares his tale of recovery and hopes his example will help others in dealing with war’s invisible wounds.

“I felt it was critical that we had senior leaders experiencing [post-traumatic stress] come forward,” Blackledge, the Army’s assistant deputy chief of staff for mobilization and reserve issues, said in an interview at the Pentagon last week.

The wife of a military member suffering from war trauma used Blackledge’s story to spur on her spouse to seek treatment, Blackledge said.

“She said, ‘My husband was suffering from this, and when I showed him the article in the paper about you coming forward, he said that if a two-star general can get help, then maybe I can too,’” he said.

Blackledge’s story begins in Iraq in February 2004, when he was working there as a civil affairs commander. He was leading a team to Iskandariyah to meet with tribal sheiks when their convoy was ambushed with smalls-arms fire. The attack killed the interpreter sitting near Blackledge and blew out a tire on their vehicle, causing it to roll.

The survivors of the attack regrouped and escaped to a nearby checkpoint. Blackledge suffered a broken back and ribs, and other physical injuries. He was put in a body cast at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and remained there for several days before arriving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

“Within a day of me being at Walter Reed, a psychiatrist came to me … and talked to me about what was going on. He also told me what to expect,” Blackledge recalled. “I told him at the time that the ambush kept replaying in my mind.”

The psychiatrist told Blackledge his re-experiencing of the incident was normal, and he provided the general with mental techniques to help gain control of his memories.
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