This NBA ref, who knows the combination to the hurt locker, helps Iraq veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
By Dave Scheiber, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 9, 2009
In the dangerous desert sands of northern Iraq, an NBA referee arrived in July on a mission that had nothing to do with officiating. But it did involve helping soldiers make the right calls for themselves — and keep order in their lives while immersed in the most difficult of circumstances.
• For veteran NBA crew chief Bob Delaney, 10 days of living with U.S. troops on the front lines of battle — offering them comfort and counsel about the hazards of posttraumatic stress disorder — was the latest step in a journey that began more than 30 years ago by the shadowy docks of northern Jersey.
• That is where Delaney was known as Bobby Covert, a young undercover agent for the New Jersey State Police who lived in the constant presence of the Genovese and Bruno crime families.
• The experience was life-changing at a fundamental level. But in its own way, so was the most recent one, supporting soldiers fighting a ruthless enemy on the outside — and teaching them to cope better with the demons that can arise within.
• Many of them don't understand or wish to acknowledge that enemy, one veiled in whispers and a stigma of shame. PTSD has risen to crisis levels in the military, with scores of American troops committing suicide each year, and more than a third of returning vets reporting mental health problems from the immense pressures of combat.
• Delaney knows a little bit about facing pressure.
• And, at his core, he knows the heavy toll it can take.
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