Dryhootch offers counseling to those returning from war

Dryhootch offers counseling to those returning from war

Posted: July 25, 2010

No one could relate to Manuel "Manny" Mora when he returned home from the Iraq war.

His mother couldn't reach him, and neither could his father. Never mind any of his friends.

"I had major anger issues," said the four-year Army veteran, who served in Baghdad for a year.

"They prep you to go to war, but coming back they don't show you how to live afterwards. My friends and family saw a side of me that they never saw before. They were freaked out."

He also didn't recognize himself.

"I ended up being homeless. I had to hustle in the street to make it for another day or week," the 27-year-old confides. "There are some things that I did that I'm not too proud of."

Mora, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, is among a growing number of new-generation vets returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who are struggling to gain a foothold on life.

Unable to connect with the outside world, Mora and others are turning to those who know them best: other veterans.

"Veterans will talk to other veterans," said Bob Curry, a Vietnam War vet who is one of the founders of Dryhootch.

The nonprofit organization, which serves as a safety net for veterans returning from the combat zone, has a particular eye on preventing suicide.
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Dryhootch offers counseling to those returning from war