War Torn: An Iraq War Veteran's Story Lance Cpl. Ian Welch

War Torn: An Iraq War Veteran's Story

Wall Street Journal
WSJDigitalNetwork on Feb 3, 2012
Ian Welch was on his first combat tour in Iraq, waiting to storm across the Diyala Bridge and seize Baghdad, when an artillery round exploded behind him--changing his life forever. Now he and his girlfriend Katie are hoping love can change it back.



U.S. NEWS
FEBRUARY 4, 2012
For Wounded Vet, Love Pierces the Fog of War
By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS

Gilles Bassignac/Gamma via Getty Images
Ian Welch reported to boot camp on Sept. 10, 2001. After three tours of duty in Iraq, he retired on Feb. 27, 2010, for medical reasons, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

DALLAS—The night Katie Brickman met Ian Welch at the bar, she knew right away the Iraq war veteran was the man she wanted to marry.

That made it all the more jarring when he asked a favor as they said goodbye in the parking lot: "When you see me again, just say, 'Hi, Ian, you remember me,' so I'll know that we've met before."

So began the wartime love triangle of Ms. Brickman, Mr. Welch and his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr. Welch's amnesia, induced by the combination of PTSD and traumatic brain injury, leaves him struggling to remember events, words and friends, even Ms. Brickman. Most days, Mr. Welch doesn't change out of his pajamas. Small surprises—a traffic jam, a crowded waiting room, a loud noise, a change in plans—trigger anxiety and anger, echoes of the violence he dealt and endured.

The Iraq war is over for America and the end of the Afghan conflict is just over the horizon. But a generation of military families will face its physical and psychological consequences for years after most other Americans have put the wars behind them.
read more here