"Miracle Cure" injured mind of an American hero

The injured mind of an American hero

Vet one of thousands lobotomized by government after WWII
La Crosse Tribune, Wis.
By Allison Geyer
Published: February 8, 2014

Tritz was one of roughly 2,000 World War II veterans lobotomized during and after the war, a recent Wall Street Journal investigation discovered. The procedure, once lauded as a "miracle cure" for nearly all types of mental illness, has since fallen so far out of favor in the medical community that it's rarely even discussed, said Mario DeSanctis, medical director at the Tomah VA.

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Roman Tritz dreamed of flying.

Gripping the yoke of a four-engine B-17 Flying Fortress was excitement and adventure for the boy who was born in Portage, Wis., in 1923 and left school after eighth grade to help his father with the dairy cows.

"What did I like about flying?" A distant smile brightens his watery blue eyes. "Everything ...."

It was duty to his country that brought him to enlist in what was then known as the U.S. Army Air Force after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The oldest of 10 children on the farm, Tritz "figured he should be the one to go" and shipped off to England in fall 1944 to join the 728th Squadron of the 452nd Bombardment Group.

"That was the way it was," he said.

He flew 34 combat missions, including one that took him deep into enemy skies so thick with German anti-aircraft fire that he and his crew had to sign an affidavit swearing that they weren't forced to go. Halfway there, some wanted to turn back. Tritz told them to be brave.
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Report: VA lobotomized 2,000 disturbed veterans