Soldiers back from Iraq fighting a battle at home with PTSD

Soldiers back from Iraq fighting a battle at home
By Cliff White cwhite@centredaily.com
Posted: 12:01am on Jan 10, 2012

For Sgt. Jim Gaida, the end of the war in Iraq provided a brief moment of respite from the severe anxiety and depression he’s felt every day since he returned home from the conflict in 2003.

Gaida’s unit, the 300th Chemical Company, was one of the first to be deployed to Iraq once hostilities commenced. He spent six months looking for weapons of mass destruction and fighting on the ground during the earliest stages of the war. Since his return, Gaida, 31, has suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder that gives him regular headaches, sapping bouts of depression and crippling anxiety attacks.

“I get a rush of really good feelings and endorphins knowing these people are safe now and with their loved ones,” Gaida said of the homebound troops. “But from my point of view, the things I experienced, the things I had to do because it was my duty to do them — I hope there is enough support to catch these guys, because I know how hard it was to recognize what was going on with me.”

There are 9,000 veterans living in Centre County, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, including Gaida and Maj. Curtis Unger, who served as an aviation officer overseeing air support for the Third Brigade, First Cavalry, from October 2006 through December 2007.

Unger, 31, lives in Bellefonte and attends classes at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. He said while the last American troops have left Iraq, for thousands of veterans, the battle continues at home.

“The nation needs to realize, while the war in Iraq has ended, there will be lasting effects, both psychological and emotional, that will be around for many years to come,” Unger said. “In their minds, the Iraq war is not over. They’re still feeling the effects of it.”
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