Many Soldiers Shoulder Burden Of Post-Combat Stress

Many Soldiers Shoulder Burden Of Post-Combat Stress

War Memories Can Intrude On Civilian Life

March 20, 2012

CINCINNATI -- Michael Mather and Stephen Tam are war veterans who share more than just war stories and a family connection.

Both men suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mather retired from the Army as a sergeant after he was shot in the face by a sniper.

"The bullet came in here, entered my jaw bone, shattered it, so I lost 40 percent of the bottom of my jaw, and it fractured it in three places and it blew out my neck," Mather said.

He still doesn't like to be around tall buildings or crowds, which reminds him of the shooting.

"I seclude myself," Mather said. "I don't like going places where there's a lot of people, a lot of activity."

His father-in-law suffers similar anxieties from dodging sniper fire and mortars during the Vietnam War.
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