A Rutherford Marine's Pacific war and PTSD

One more story of why so many are seeking help for the first time.

A Rutherford Marine's Pacific war
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Last updated: Sunday May 9, 2010, 10:43 AM
BY VIRGINIA ROHAN
The Record
STAFF WRITER


A few months ago, Charlie Garabedian finally got a diagnosis that explained his restless nights and troublesome ruminations on past horrors — post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I don't sleep well. I never slept well. And I relive this too much now," Garabedian says of his combat experiences.

Although we now hear much about PTSD plaguing those who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, Garabedian's haunting memories are from a war that ended 65 years ago.

A proud member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Regiment, 4th Marine Division, the 86-year-old Rutherford veteran fought in four of the deadliest Pacific battles of World War II — including Iwo Jima, depicted last Sunday in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific," which has shown viewers the same kind of unspeakable atrocities that Garabedian describes.

"My best friend, Stapleton, got killed on Saipan the fourth morning," says Garabedian, whose physique and voice suggest a man 20 years younger. "I was on the ground with the machine gun. I was gonna fire up on this hill against a bunch of snipers. He let out a groan. He fell on top of me, and he's dead. I'll never forget that as long as I live.


Pfc. Garabedian, far left, second row, of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Regiemtn, 4th Marine Division, in July 1944. "If I was ever gonna crack, I would have cracked then."

Garabedian — a former Rutherford police captain whose awards include the Bronze Star Medal (with Combat "V") for valor, the Combat Action Ribbon and New Jersey's Distinguished Service Medal — has been watching "The Pacific." He was put off by Part 3, which showed the 1st Marine Division's leave in Melbourne after intense fighting on Guadalcanal.
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A Rutherford Marine Pacific war