Wounded Iraq war vet paroled, will receive treatment for PTSD

Wounded Iraq war vet paroled, will receive treatment
BY PETER E. BORTNER
STAFF WRITER
Republican Herald.com
Published: June 28, 2012

Jonathan T. Porter received another chance Tuesday in Schuylkill County Court to recover from both the physical and emotional wounds he suffered while in combat in Iraq.

"Thank you, Your Honor. I'm not too far gone," Porter told President Judge William E. Baldwin after being paroled for a second time on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. "I just want to be the person I was before this."

"This" consisted of two tours of duty as a combat medic beginning in 2004 in Iraq, climaxing in one terrible day that changed his life forever.

"I was blown up while riding in a Humvee," testified Porter, 27, of Pottsville.

As a result, he received his second Purple Heart, the medal awarded to troops who are wounded in combat, but also a shove down the dark road of disability, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction, the dual diagnosis for which he must receive help as a condition of his parole.

"I'm on nine medications," after never having had a problem with either drugs or alcohol before his military service, Porter said. "I haven't been idle in trying to deal with my addiction."

One benefit he did receive from his service was the opportunity to meet President Obama.

"Obama shook my hand and said, 'We need more soldiers like you'," Porter recalled.

However, neither meeting Obama nor the Purple Hearts helped Porter overcome PTSD, drug addiction or the traumatic brain injury that has left him permanently disabled.
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