Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts: Stories of American Soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD

When the war comes home . . .

This book is crafted around soldiers’ personal descriptions of their war experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan that culminate in life-altering injuries to the brain and psyche, along with the equally dramatic story of their recoveries. An irony of America’s 21st century wars has been that while our combat medical and medevac capabilities have grown enormously (from a rough average of 4:1 wounded to dead in WWII to 8:1 today), the nature of many of our soldiers’ wounds has undergone a subtle change. Men and women who survive the thick of combat, including repeated concussion blasts, increasingly present a difficult-to-detect kind of injury, no less debilitating then wounds from bullets or shrapnel.

Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts documents the ever-increasing cases of physical or mental brain trauma among our vets that has risen as a direct result of more soldiers surviving their flesh wounds on the battlefield. The chapters are crafted from interviews with troops and their family members, and bridged with essays by internationally known mental health professionals, veterans’ advocates, and members of the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense, all of whom are working in the front lines of what is quickly developing into a national crisis of unfathomable cost in both lives and money.

From combat Army soldiers and Marines, even amputees, who eventually discover that their greatest disability is in their head, to support personnel such as Devore Barlowe, who returns from Iraq having witnessed atrocities that leave her with severe PTSD, but perseveres juggling her job and the single mothering of two young children, the voices of these warriors reinforce the book’s over-arching theme of resilience and courage.

Thankfully the U.S. military’s battlefield support has vastly improved since prior wars. However, the signature wound of 21st century warfare—Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as PTSD—may lie beyond the current reach of standard medical procedures, and is more evidenced by the postwar stories of the soldiers themselves. In this book we get a thorough look at the travails of our veterans who may currently be undiagnosed and without help, but whom we are all committed to support.

Celia Straus is author of the national bestseller, Prayers On My Pillow, and an award-winning film writer/producer who has been writing about the war-related experiences of service members and their families since 2003. The Armed Forces Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the men and women of America’s military.

All royalties from this work will go directly to the front line of support for wounded warriors with PTSD and TBI, and their families .

Table of Contents

Foreword
World War II
Introduction

1. DEPLOYED, DECORATED AND LIVING IN A CAR: The Story of Marine Corps Sergeant Christopher Horman
2. DECIDING WHO IS SANE ENOUGH TO FIGHT: The Ethics of Military Medicine in a Time of War by Alice Psirakis, LCSW
3. LANDMINE BLAST TO A SOUL: The Story of Army SPC Walter Blackston
4. AMERICA KEEPS ITS PROMISE: The Truth About Military Care of Warriors with Traumatic Brain Injury by Colonel Christopher S. Williams
5. BRINGING THE WAR HOME: The Story of Army Chief Warrant Officer Richard Gutteridge
6. HEALING THE HUMAN SPIRIT, HOUR BY HOUR by Barbara V. Romberg, PhD
7. DEEPER THAN WAR: The Story of US Marine Corps Captain Tyler Boudreau
8. THE VA’S SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: Saving the Lives of Veterans by Dr. Janet Kemp
9. A SHARPSHOOTER FIRES BACK: The Story of Army PFC Robert Kislow
10. THE EXPERT CONSULTANTS: OUR PATIENTS by Kelly Petska, PhD, and Donald MacLennan, PhD
11. WAR CHANT: The Story of Army Sergeant John “Medicine Bear” Radell
12. THE WEAPON OF CHOICE—PATIENCE by Dr. Charles “Chip” West
13. A WOMAN AT WAR: The Story of Army 2nd Lieutenant Sylvia Blackwood-Boutelle
14. I JUST WANT TO BE BACK IN IRAQ by Alice Psirakis, LCSW
15. AT HOME OUTSIDE THE WIRE: The Story of Marine Corps Corporal William Berger
16. WINNING HIDDEN BATTLES: Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury by Bill Yamanaka
17. A NEVERENDING BATTLE: The Story of Army Corporal Jonnei Campaz
18. THE REAL STORY BEHIND YOUR STORY by Dr. Rick Levy
19. AGAINST ALL ODDS: The Story of Marine Corps Corporal Joshua Hoffman
20. A VETERANS’ GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THE VA by Ira R. Katz, MD, PhD, and Bradley Karlin, PhD
21. WHEN MOMMY COMES HOME: The Story of Army Sergeant Devore Barlowe
22. WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS ANGRY, MOMMY? Children in Wartime—How to Know When Help Is Needed by Michael Genhart
23. A GOOD WACKING: The Story of Army Sergeant David Emme
24. THE MENTAL TRANSCEIVER by Norman McCormack
25. I’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU: The Story of Army National Guard Sergeant Jose Pequeno and His Mother, Nelida Bagley
26. THE FACES BEHIND THE FILES: The VA’s Polytrauma System of Care by Dr. Barbara Sigford, MD, PhD
27. PORTRAIT OF RESILIENCE: The Story of Army Sergeant Brent Bretz
28. FAMILIES OF HONOR by Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard
29. DELTA FORCE DOWN: The Story of Army Special Operations Sergeant Bryan Lane
30. REALIZING THE PROMISE OF EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN THE VHA by Bradley Karlin, PhD, Josef Ruzek, PhD, and Kathleen Chard, PhD
31. A WOUNDED WARRIOR: The Story of Army Sergeant Nathan Toews
32. FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS: Why Time Is Running Out by Lt. Colonel Cynthia Rasmussen
33. COURAGE TO HEAL: The Story of Army National Guard Sergeant Michael Mills and Suki Mills
34. TENDING, ATTENDING, AND HEALING: All Together, One by One by Dr. Joseph Bobrow
35. SLEEPLESS IN SILVER SPRING: The Story of National Guard Specialist 1st Class Duval Diaz
36. THE BATTLE FOR LOVE by Mitchell S. Tepper, PhD
37. ONE FOOT IS BETTER THAN TWO: The Story of Army Corporal Nicholas Firth and His Mother, Faye Firth
38. FACING OUR FEARS by Barbara V. Romberg, PhD
39. AFRAID TO TRUST: The Story of Marine Corps Sergeants Kelly Meister and Cody Sepulvida
40. THE ROAD BACK TO SELF: It’s the Journey, Not the Destination by David Carroll, PhD
41. A FAMILY AFFAIR: The Story of Army Sergeant John Weinburgh and Lindsey Weinburgh
42. PREPARING OURSELVES TO HELP WITH THE JOURNEY HOME by Barbara Tiner

Acknowledgments
About the contributors
Resources For Military Service Members And Families