Ret. Brig. Gen. David N. Blackledge Show PTSD Does Not Know Rank

If you don't know who Blackledge is, he has been talking about his own battle with PTSD since 2008 PTSD: Maj. General David Blackledge shows what courage is back home

In Moss Point, retired general paints grim picture of reality of post-combat life
Sun Herald
BY WESLEY MULLER
November 11, 2014

MOSS POINT -- A retired high-ranking U.S. Army officer spelled out the grim realities of post-combat life in his keynote speech Tuesday at Jackson County's 14th annual Veterans Day celebration.

Crowds gathered at Moss Point's Veterans Memorial Monument in observance of the holiday heard from retired Brig. Gen. David N. Blackledge of Pascagoula.

"War is a life-threatening experience that involves witnessing and engaging in terrifying and gruesome acts of violence," he said. "It is also, for most military personnel, a patriotic duty to protect and defend our country, our loved ones, our values and our way of life."

Blackledge was wounded in an ambush during his first tour in Iraq and spent 11 months in recovery and rehabilitation before returning to active duty.

His second deployment ended much the same way, when suicide bombers launched simultaneous attacks on three hotels in Amman, Jordan, Nov. 9, 2005, killing 60 people and injuring 115 others, including Blackledge.

Even after his physical wounds healed, however, he struggled with and eventually sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
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General Carter Ham also talked about his struggle with PTSD