The nation's duty to vets who bring the war home

The nation's duty to vets who bring the war home
By some estimates, nearly 20 percent of returning veterans have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression. Guest columnist David R. Stone writes about our community's duty to help those who served heal.


By David R. Stone

Special to The Times

FOR many thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury, the war will not be over. It is our community's responsibility to help these men and women in their transition back to public life and support those who may bring effects of the war back home.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has already diagnosed 150,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets with PTSD. Thousands more have been diagnosed by private physicians treating service personnel. A study by the Rand Corporation found that nearly 20 percent, or 300,000, of returning veterans have symptoms of this condition or major depression.

Despite evidence that vets with PTSD symptoms often respond to appropriate treatment, many do not seek it out, or follow through with treatment long enough for it to be successful. For those individuals, PTSD can become disabling, or worse.
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The nations duty to vets who bring the war home