New USO Public Service Announcement About Combat and PTSD

Military Heroes Talk Candidly About Their Battle with Invisible Wounds in New USO Public Service Announcement


In “Portraits,” the USO’s first PSA on invisible wounds of war, Americans learn how post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury impacts lives and are called on to take action
Arlington, VA (PRWEB) January 23, 2012

Right now, across the United States, an estimated 300,000 American service men and women live with invisible wounds of war – known familiarly as post traumatic stress (PTS), depression and traumatic brain injury (TBI). As more troops return home, many more are expected to be diagnosed.

At home, these service members and their families now fight an intensely private war against despair, depression, and anxiety. In an effort to bring awareness to psychological and cognitive injuries, the USO has launched its first-ever Public Service Announcement (PSA) on the invisible wounds of war.

“Portraits” is a documentary style PSA that features service members who proudly answered the call to duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now live with invisible wounds. Service members speak candidly, and sometimes emotionally, about how these invisible wounds have changed their lives forever and ask Americans to take action.

“I never thought I would have PTSD. I thought I had enough coping skills.”- SGT Philip Romero's, Iraq 2005/2007

“It’s like a pressure cooker and you know, you want someone desperately to trip that valve- you know, lose all of that anger and angst.”- Capt Eric Thomas, Iraq 2003/2004

“Now I have such bad issues with it that I’m being released from the Army. I’m being medically retired from the Army because I can’t sleep, because I can’t function on a daily basis in the Army anymore.”- SSGT Jessica Paul, Iraq 2006

“Get educated. Don’t brush this aside and don’t count us out.”- MSGT Mike Martinez, Iraq 1990/2004
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