National Guardsman Iraq Veteran Didn't Want to Be Here

Part one: Iraq war veteran suffering from PTSD
KATC News
By Akeam Ashford
February 23, 2015

"I just felt as if it would be better because the struggles wouldn't continue," Thomas said. "I felt like if I was gone it would be better for my family."

Returning home from war is often when a veteran's real fight begins, and for one U.S. Army National Guardsman, the fight never really ended.

Between 10 percent and 18 percent of servicemen and women from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom are likely to have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after they return, according to research cited by the federal Veterans Affairs Office.

Estimates of depression in returning troops range from three percent to 25 percent. Veterans with PTSD are three times more likely to report hopelessness or suicidal ideation than those without PTSD, according to the VA.

Iraq war veteran Spc. Lance Thomas is one of those returning soldiers suffering from PTSD.
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