Dealing with the Demons, a Marine's PTSD Story

This is the best way to reach others and help them seek help. All these years later, the DOD has this right!

Written on MAY 16, 2011 AT 8:00 AM by JTOZER
Dealing with the Demons, a PTSD Story


“I think the reason why I waited so long to get help with my PTSD, it wasn’t that I was afraid that my command was going to look down on me, or because they weren’t there to support me, or I’d be black labeled – nothing like that. I basically had to swallow that lump that they call pride.”

U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Hopper saw combat from the front lines during two tours in Iraq. While there, he experienced wounds and traumatic brain injury from IED blasts. Returning home, he faced new challenges as a result of PTSD. Hear his story about how he learns to deal with the emotional demons of deployment.
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Dealing with the Demons, a PTSD Story

PTSD has a way of getting things twisted around. A brave Marine will end up thinking they are suddenly a coward. A proud one will start to think they have something to be ashamed of. Once they start talking, they end up understanding that while they have PTSD, it does not have them. They can heal it. Much like and infection, it attacked them. As with an infection, it gets worse without treatment but with treatment, it cannot claim more of the person and begins to be defeated. What is left is like a scar on the soul depending on how much time has gone by without help. A scar is something you can deal with and learn how to adapt to. With the right kind of help, they end up even stronger on the other side.

The best news is, even with PTSD in a marriage, once you've been through the worst, they can have a stronger marriage because they fought PTSD together. We've been married since 1984. We'll never be done fighting PTSD but that is mostly because as with most Vietnam Veterans, there was nothing when they came home and even less for the families to turn to. Even with all the years between deployment and healing, his life is better and my marriage is strong if not perfect in the sense most people think one is.

For all the complaining I've done about the DOD, I am very happy they did this video! Ooh Rah!