Visit this website to view more humorous photos taken by our brave men in uniform.

The truly tragic side of this terrible illness is that, with proper help, it could be manageable. But the government doesn’t always care for these soldiers, and often, sadly, the soldiers themselves refuse to seek treatment for fear of appearing “weak”.

Enter Pets2Vets.

Dave Sharpe served in the U.S. Air Force. Returning home, he had trouble adjusting to civilian life and felt that he had no one to turn to – no one to share his experiences in Iraq with. This took his toll on him. Before he knew it, he had started displaying violent tendencies. He would wake up in the middle of the night and punch holes in walls or kick down the refrigerator.

A friend took him to an animal shelter and Dave took home a pit bull puppy named Cheyenne. When he next lost his temper and began his violent rampage, he looked over at the young dog staring at him trustingly and broke down.

“I froze, I put down my drink, I picked her up and laid with her in my bed,” he [Sharpe] said. “I cried and I told her the whole story. I didn’t feel judged.” (source)

Given the extraordinary love and support that Cheyenne gave him, Sharpe was inspired to reach out to his fellow vets. He started the organization Pets2Vets. Pets2Vets has the goal to raise awareness of PTSD and to arrange dog adoptions for veterans suffering form the disorder. With these new pets, the veterans have something outside themselves to focus on – a dependent that won’t judge them and will listen to every word said to them.

While family certainly is an important part of the healing process, so often the responsibilities of family can put pressure on the PTSD sufferer – even if that pressure is only imagined. The dogs provide that comfort needed without any strings attached. Just total  love and admiration.

Pets2Vets is still a fledgling operation, but David Sharpe has already seen results. He has hopes to continue to expand across the DC area and soon across the whole country. He also hopes to expand to encompass, not only war veterans, but police, firemen, rescue personnel, and any others who may have emotional trauma.

If you know anyone who may benefit from this organization, or just want more information about it, head over to the Pets2Vets website.

But Mohammed caught the eye of Michigan soldier David Howell. David swore that he would do what he could for the young man. He said he “felt an obligation as an American to do something for this family”.

After hard works and miles of red tape, Howell succeeded  in his efforts to have Mohammed relocated to the United States. Here he received much needed medical care and reconstructive surgery.

Mohammed is scheduled to return to Iraq in April. Understandably he has mixed feelings about the journey.

“I am excited about seeing my brothers and sisters, but I am not excited about going back to Iraq,” said Mohammed, who calls his family weekly to share his progress. “There are terrorists there. I am afraid I am going to get killed in Iraq.” (source)

One day hopefully Mohammed can feel safe at home once again.

These brave men face hardships unknown to us. They are looked on as traitors to their countrymen, even though their mission is peace. The translators perform a valuable service to the American military, and without them they wouldn’t be able to do what they do.The translators have to follow the troops into hostile territory, and often they are injured or killed.

But the Iraqi translators face real danger. Often they hide their faces, and use aliases and accents to hide their identity. If their identity is discovered, it’s not only themselves who can can to harm. The Iraqi people see them as traitors, and as such, they go after the entire family.

These men have taken up a job that is every bit as tough as being a soldier, but remain behind the scenes. I’ve read many articles that mention a lost translator, but the writers rarely mention the mens’ names. So take a moment to give a thought and a prayer to the Iraqi translators who have dedicated themselves to doing what they think is right, even if their entire country is against them.

For more about the Iraqi translators, click here.

Tammy Gollinger knows how this feels. She received word from the government that her son Randy was alive, but critically injured. And that’s all they would tell her.

Tammy desperately wanted to be by her son’s side, but no information about him was forthcoming. She didn’t even know the extent of his injuries, and Randy himself couldn’t contact her due to the fact that he was unconscious the majority of the time.

This lack of information would start a mother’s nightmare. She eventually found out that Randy had suffered enormous trauma to his right leg and that it was only hanging by skin. His face had also been crushed and he had lost his right eye. The doctors thought he was going to die.

Tammy had trouble even reaching her son. The military told her to “stay put” and when she did finally manage to locate him and arrive at the hospital, they denied her entry.

However, using her connections as a hospital employee, she managed to get paperwork allowing her entry to her son’s bedside.

“The devastation of walking into that hospital room for the first time will never leave my mind,” recalls Tammy. “The smell alone was terrible. His leg was gangrenous. Since they didn’t think he was going to live, they left him in one piece. My first order of business was to order the doctors to remove my son’s leg and save his life. I knew in my heart that if he lived 48 hours, he had a chance of surviving.” (source)

Randy survived, but he had a long road to recovery, both physically and emotionally. He suffered from depression, and hated the reflection in the mirror. Slowly, with years of plastic reconstruction and therapy, Randy has made a comeback. Now, at 23, he is happy and living with his girlfriend.

Read the full article here.

Luckily, Swanson didn’t have to shoot that day, but the fact that he had had to point a loaded gun at a child and be prepared to shoot tormented him.

“Pointing a gun at a child, threatening to shoot him,” Swanson told the Christian Science Monitor. “I was 25 years old at the time, and it has weighed pretty heavy on me ever since then.”

After Swanson’s tour was complete, he moved to Key Largo and got a job training dolphins. However, despite landing what might be considered a dream job, Gunnar wasn’t happy. He continued to think about the Iraqi children.

So he moved to Minnesota and got a program manager job with War Kids Relief, a non-profit organization set up to help children in war-torn countries, such as Iraq, get help and much needed education.

As part of a fund raising venture for the organization, Swanson vowed to walk from Dallas to Minnesota, a journey of 1,000 miles. It was known as A Soldier’s March for Peace. He began walking of July 4th and finished September 10th. All along the way, Swanson stopped at schools to talk of his mission and the problems facing the children in Afghanistan and Iraq. He even helped them write letters to their overseas peers.

By the end of his long walk, Swanson’s feet were covered in painful blisters, but he knows it was worth it.

“I do this to protect kids in Iraq, Afghanistan, and here at home,” Swanson wrote. “I do this for my friends who didn’t make it home with me from Iraq. I do it for my nephews and my future children. I do it for every kid I see playing on a playground, riding bike down the street, or playing ball in the park.”

Quotes from Gimundo

RAMADI, IRAQ (April 29, 2008) – It was a typical quiet morning on April 22, with the temperature intensifying as a bright orange sun emerged high from the horizon.

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, RCT-1, were standing post, just as they’ve done numerous times before. During a standard length watch in a small checkpoint protected by concrete barriers where they overlooked the small gravel road, lined with palm trees leading to their entry control point.

However, this morning would be different. Quickly it would turn, chaotic then tragic. Two Marines would gallantly sacrifice their lives so others could live.

A truck packed with thousands of pounds of explosives entered the area where Haerter and Yale were standing guard. Realizing the vehicles intentions Haerter and Yale without hesitation stood their ground, drew their weapons and fired at the vehicle. The truck rolled to a stop and exploded, killing the two Marines.

“I was on post the morning of the attack,” said Lance Cpl. Benjamin Tupaj, a rifleman with 3rd Platoon, Police Transition Team 3, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. “I heard the (squad automatic weapon) go off at a cyclic rate and then the detonation along with a flash. Then I heard a Marine start yelling ‘we got hit, we got hit.’ It was hectic.”

In the face of a committed enemy, Haerter and Yale stood their ground, in turn saving the lives of numerous Marines, sailors, Iraqi Policemen, and civilians. Both Marines displayed heroic, self-sacrificing actions and truly lived up to the Corps values of honor, courage, and commitment.

“They saved all of our lives, if it wasn’t for them that gate probably wouldn’t have held,” Tupaj said. “The explosion blew out all of the windows over 150 meters from where the blast hit. If that truck had made it into the compound, there would’ve been a lot more casualties. They saved everyone’s life here.”

According to official reports the heroic actions of Haerter and Yale’s saved the lives of the 33 Marines and 21 Iraqi Police as well as numerous civilians at the entry control point.

“They are heroes because thousands of pounds (of explosives) would’ve made its way through the gate and many more of us wouldn’t be here,” said Lance Cpl. Lawrence Tillery a rifleman with 3rd platoon. “I have a son back home, and I know if that truck would’ve made it to where it was going – I wouldn’t be here today. Because of Lance Cpl. Haerter and Cpl. Yale, I will be able to see my son again. They gave me that opportunity.”

A week after the attack, the Marines with 3rd platoon, remember their fallen brethren as good friends and Marines

“Cpl. Yale was a great guy, really friendly and kind of shy,” said Hospitalman Eric Schwartz a corpsman with the platoon.

“Haerter was an amazing guy, I knew everything about him. He was my best friend.” said Lance Cpl. Cody Israel, a rifleman with 3rd platoon, Haerter’s roommate for more than a year and half.

Haerter and Yale were both posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and have been nominated for an award for their valor.

Editor’s Note: This story was written by Lance Corporal Casey Jones, a combat correspondent stationed in Camp Ramadi, Iraq. Jones recently completed a story on two Marines that were killed while defending their post. The Marines have been nominated for a Silver Star, the third highest award in the military, for their heroic actions that day.(WITN)

But with gain comes loss. Even though women are serving alongside their male peers, the old ideas and concepts of who can be a warrior still hold. These preconceptions lead both the military and civilians to treat these brave women differently than their male counterparts, despite the fact that both sexes are experiencing the same events and participating equally in the field.

The NY Times had a thoughtful article about women and their roles in the military. It also faces the ever present problem of PTSD in our soldiers, and the unique problems that arise when the condition arises in female soldiers. Overall, men and women experience PTSD almost exactly the same, but the way society treats the sufferer varies drastically between the sexes.

Perhaps it is time to put aside these archaic preconceptions and make sure that we treat our returning soldiers with respect and care – all of out soldiers, both men and women.

…In Iraq and Afghanistan, the military has quietly sidestepped regulations that bar women from jobs in ground combat. With commanders needing resources in wars without front lines, women have found themselves fighting on dusty roads and darkened outposts in ways that were never imagined by their parents or publicly authorized by Congress. And they have distinguished themselves in the field.

Psychologically, it seems, they are emerging as equals. Officials with the Department of Defense said that initial studies of male and female veterans with similar time outside the relative security of bases in Iraq showed that mental health issues arose in roughly the same proportion for members of each sex, though research continues.

“Female soldiers are actually handling and dealing with the stress of combat as well as male soldiers are,” said Col. Carl Castro, director of the Military Operational Research Program at the Department of Defense. “When I look at the data, I see nothing to counter that point.”

And yet, experts and veterans say, the circumstances of military life and the way women are received when they return home have created differences in how they cope. A man, for instance, may come home and drink to oblivion with his war buddies while a woman — often after having been the only woman in her unit — is more likely to suffer alone.