With help, Iraq veteran starts rebuilding his life with PTSD

With help, a veteran starts rebuilding his life
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Globe Correspondent
April 6, 2013

LYNN — Eight years ago, First Lieutenant Stephen Wood held the pressure-packed job of flying Army generals to Iraq hot spots in his Black Hawk helicopter. When he wasn’t in the pilot’s seat, the Rockland native served as a battle captain from a base in Kuwait, where he plotted missions for some 400 soldiers.

Now 34, Wood faces a different battle: rebuilding his life.

The nonvisible wounds of war, coupled with steep challenges of transitioning back to civilian life, have led him to a nonprofit Lynn facility for psychiatrically disabled veterans. Here at Habitat PLUS, staffers keep tabs on his hygiene, housekeeping, diet, and attitude.

Wood’s journey from decorated officer to struggling veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression has been a humbling one. Always a high achiever, he oversaw teams of analysts at Fidelity Investments before flying for the Army, where testers marveled at his top-rank scores on intellectual as well as physical exams. He signed on for officer training after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, knowing he’d be sent to war.

“I was a very good soldier,” Wood recalled. The Army agrees. He has been honored with six medals.

Despite setbacks in recent years, Wood’s life is once again full of promise. He has transitioned from group home living to a tidy one-bedroom apartment managed by Habitat PLUS. He is now golfing and playing basketball, attending church and Veteran Administration support groups, dating online, and seeking a job as a police officer. He hopes to get a master of business administration degree and is taking Suffolk University classes toward that goal.

Wood hopes his progress will show other veterans what’s possible for those who seek out benefits and get help from supportive professionals, family members, and caring friends.

“There were some pretty dark days there, definitely, where you think things that you never thought you would ever think,” Wood said “But I’ve got a very supportive family, who put me in for the benefits [for combat-related stress]. I’ve gotten the support that I need, and my recovery has come a long way.”
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