Iraq Veteran Marine Song of PTSD Says A Lot

Flashbacks, nightmares, physical reactions, sounds of gunshots and memories of a place they think they leave behind. It is all in this release from a Marine trying to explain what PTSD is like.

Pomona veteran-turned-R and B-singer uses music as therapy

ABC 7 News

Josh Haskell

December 23, 2017

A local former U.S. Marine turned to music to help him - and others - cope with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Elliott McKenzie served in the United States Marines for five years, which included a tour of duty in Iraq. Like many combat veterans, he started experiencing anger issues and anxiety when he came home. He was then diagnosed with PTSD.

"Every single day we would go on foot patrols, and we got shot at a lot. Your head is always on a swivel, completely, because you're always worried about, 'OK, somebody could come and shoot at us from that building, from that building. An RPG can come in from anywhere,' so it's hard to turn that off when you get back home," said McKenzie.

McKenzie has been singing since he was a kid. Now 33, music has served as a form of therapy for his PTSD.read more here