After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control

After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control

I think they're trying to wash their hands of me instead of looking at the whole picture.
--Maj. Chad Bushman

By Ed Lavandera, CNN
February 8, 2011

The Air Force ordered Maj. Chad Bushman to have no contact with his wife and children for almost two years.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Pilot faces military inquiry that may result in being discharged
His wife detailed years of abuse upon her husband's return from duty
Military may have missed the early signs of PTSD
Board to determine whether it's in best interest of Air Force to keep the pilot in its ranks

San Francisco (CNN) -- Air Force Maj. Chad Bushman vividly remembers the worst day of his life, the sound of handcuffs gripping his wrists as six military officers took him away and told him he faced criminal charges for abusing his wife.

"It's shameful. There's no honor in it." Bushman said. "I'm very ashamed of how I had gotten."

What Bushman didn't know at that moment was that a military psychologist would soon determine that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and, he says, it led to years of abusing his wife. The diagnosis may have come too late, and the decorated pilot's military career could soon come to a disgraceful end. But Bushman says that he deserves a second chance and that the Air Force has let him down.

"I think they're trying to wash their hands of me," Bushman said. "Instead of looking at the whole picture of 'how did he get this way, and what could we have done to make him better or help him?' "

The secretary of the Air Force will ultimately decide whether Bushman can continue his career as a military pilot. This week, the case goes before a board of inquiry at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

How Bushman's career reached this point is a sad and often disturbing tale that raises questions about whether the military missed PTSD warning signs along the way.
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After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control

UPDATE
Feb. 10, 2011

Air Force panel: Pilot with PTSD should be discharged
By Ed Lavandera, CNN
February 10, 2011 -- Updated 0257 GMT (1057 HKT)

Criminal charges against Chad Bushman were dismissed after his wife learned of his PTSD prognosis.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Board of Inquiry recommends honorable discharge for Maj. Chad Bushman
Bushman was accused of abusing his wife after deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan
His lawyer says Air Force failed to promptly diagnose his PTSD

Montgomery, Alabama (CNN) -- A three-member Board of Inquiry is recommending that a veteran Air Force pilot who has post-traumatic stress disorder be discharged under honorable conditions, according to the pilot's attorney.

Maj. Chad Bushman's 17-year flying career unraveled in November 2008 after he was arrested by military police and accused of abusing his wife in the four years after he returned home from war deployments into Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shortly after the board issued its recommendation Wednesday afternoon, Bushman said that, despite the discharge ruling, he was still hopeful that he could stay in the military. The board could have recommended a harsher ruling of a dishonorable discharge.

"I get to be back with my family. I'm blessed," Bushman said. "The family is the most important part. I'm accepting this is what's going to happen."

Bushman's attorney said the decorated pilot should be allowed to remain in the Air Force because the abuse would not have occurred had the Air Force properly diagnosed his PTSD after returning from war in 2004.

Stephen Karns, Bushman's attorney, argued before the review board that warning signs of the pilot's mental state were missed because the pilot was not given a psychological exam until four years after returning from the battlefield.
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Pilot with PTSD should be discharged