Missouri Veterans Commission Holds Listening Post

Missouri Veterans Commission Holds Listening Post

Reported by: Brian Richardson
Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 @08:45pm CDT
Violence overseas is taking its toll on our service men and women.

The Missouri Veterans Commission held a listening post in Springfield Monday night to make sure those returning from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are not forgotten.

It's estimated that 80% of the men and women returning from those conflicts suffer from some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The post allowed veterans of previous wars to come together and learn how they can serve those who are returning home.

Twenty-two years in the Marines gave Eric Olson a lot to talk about, but most of those stories are disturbing.

"The worst was seeing the kids that were getting hurt." Olson said. "The next worse was seeing your buddies getting hurt. A lot of the screaming going on. You'd see your friends getting blown away."

With massive numbers of other soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Olson says they could be fighting a different kind of war, their memories.

"One of the few good things to come out of the wars that we're fighting now in Iraq and Afghanistan is the recognition that combat stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are serious injuries," Olson said.
read more here
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=198402