When a hero hurts there is more to the story

Some will read the following and think it is just fine he is discharged without anything he worked 9 years for, but they are not opening their eyes to acknowledge the rest of the story.

Osborn's unit came under fire, and he was wounded in the firefight. He continued to render aid to others.

Think of the kind of person that would take to be able to do that. Normally we call this type of person a hero, and rightly so, but because he was hurting afterward, he reached for what would help him sleep at night. Pot has been used for centuries and was not illegal in this country until recent times. Doctors have found it helps cancer patients and so they expanded its use to include treating pain. There have been many studies done looking into using pot to treat PTSD but the older veterans already know how well it worked for them when they also self-medicated. Pot is not the answer but we need to understand why they would decide to use it instead of legal medications.

In this case, it should be a no-brainer to have Osborn go through substance abuse counseling and then return him to duty. After all, considering that when he was wounded, he put others first. That is worthy of a medal and not less than honorable discharge from the job he loved to do and few others are willing to step up and do.

Local Sailor Faces Discharge For Using Pot To Treat PTSD
Bill Osborn Diagnosed With PTSD, Mood Disorder

SAN DIEGO -- For nine years, Bill Osborn served as a Navy corpsman, but everything in his life changed in Afghanistan last May.

Osborn's unit came under fire, and he was wounded in the firefight. He continued to render aid to others.


"When I got shot instantly, I was still in the fight," said Osborn.

Weeks after the battle, anxiety and more set in, and it grew worse.

"It's a little embarrassing when you're with this elite unit to try and talk to these guys, so I self prescribed an anti-depressant," said Osborn.

Back stateside, Osborn was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a mood disorder known as cyclothymia. He self-medicated again by smoking marijuana.
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