Special report: For U.S. veterans, the war after the wars

Reuters

By Nick Carey

FOREST CITY, Iowa |
Tue Nov 9, 2010 1:46pm EST

FOREST CITY, Iowa (Reuters) - Deep in America's heartland, this small town is a world
away from the heat of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan.

But it is here in Forest City and communities across the country that families like the Jordals will battle the legacy of both conflicts for decades to come.

Surrounded by red, white and blue Americana in their powder blue Midwestern home, family matriarch Rhonda Jordal says she can deal with most of the fallout of her son Steven's two tours in Iraq.

Rhonda says she can handle his damaged memory -- Steven nearly started a fire recently when he forgot his breakfast on the stove and wandered off to feed the family's two border collies -- his daily headaches,his irritability, the 635 days it took to get him out of jail in Oklahoma City and the mountain of debt the family faces because of legal fees.

But what breaks her heart is that he will not let her hug or kiss him like he did before he went to war. "All the time he was in Iraq all I wanted was to get my baby back home," Rhonda said, breaking down for the first time in nearly five hours of talking about her son. "But I know now he's never really coming back."

Steven, 27, stands by her side, dwarfing his mother. Hands in his pockets, he looks down and shuffles his feet, at once a man made old before his time and an awkward little boy. Beyond a scar to the left of his nose, there is no visible mark of war.

The Jordals are an unhappy microcosm of the legacy of America's two-front war in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and provide a glimpse of problems to come.

Steven has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by multiple blast waves from the improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rockets and mortars during two tours in Iraq. He sees spots, has a hearing aid and is not currently capable of supporting himself.

Steven's younger brother David served in Afghanistan and is living in Minnesota "having trouble holding down a job," according to Rhonda. "He has a lot of anger issues."

David's daughter April, 5, lives with her grandparents -- David's ex-wife is long gone -- and is confused. She called Uncle Steven "daddy" by mistake when he came home from jail. 

This is very hard on April, said Rhonda.

Even if America starts withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July 2011 -- the stated goal of U.S. President Barack Obama, who inherited the conflicts from his predecessor George W. Bush -- the impact of the wars will last generations.

More than nine years of war in Afghanistan and seven in Iraq have so far cost America nearly 5,800 lives lost in combat, close to 40,000 wounded and more than $1 trillion.

Even if America starts withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July 2011 -- the

Beyond the additional nearly $1 trillion two prominent economists estimate it will cost just to treat veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq for the next 40 years, the potential human cost is huge.

Since the war began in October 2001, there have been periodic reports about substance abuse, depression, domestic violence, suicide, homelessness and violent crime among traumatized veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq. High unemployment in a bad economy has merely compounded their troubles.

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[Rhonda L. Blair]

This is the heartbreaking truth about many of our war heroes. My son battles these same demons, and lives with a disability obtained in his service to his country. The current economic crisis has tripled the suffering for these young men and women. I pray every day for them. Thank you for posting this Twana.

[0l6ayi4i4armi]

I dont know but have wondered many times, how did the men of WWII fair, did they have these same issues, or was it less because of the difference in these wars?

[Sandra Lee Smith]

I'm the child of 2 WWII vets, and knew many others when I was growing up in the late '40s to early '60s, and since as an adult as well. They did suffer PTSD; it was called battle fatigue during WWII, and shell shock in WWI. They had fewer problems with reintegration because their drafts were for "duration plus 6" meaning six months after the war ended, for most. My Dad had signed up in '39, seeing that we would get into the war, and got caught in the middle of his first 4 year hitch by Pearl Harbor, so was in until after VJ Day. Mom signed up after graduating from nursing school in May of '42, and was in for the rest. Both served in the Pacific theater, not in direct combat. Mom was Nurse Corps and was in San Diego,then Brisbane and finally Hilamoi, New Guinea. Dad flew cargo in, ambulance out so all over the place. Both were shot at, and experienced the stresses associated because of the nature of that particular war, which was different than the European theater too. But the vets did come home with the same horrors; A couple of differences were the "plus 6" which allowed them a "decompression" time after the combat was over, and the longer trip back from the fronts to reach the States again2-3 weeks by ships coming home, depending on where you were coming from, during which time they could kind of debrief each other and actually deal with some of the pain. Now they're back within 24 hours and that is an additional shock for them. I heard it from guys coming back from Vietnam too, because the world has moved on while they were away fighting, for that year or so. That's part of the maladjustment issues they're facing too. And again, the added time returning in '45 they could sort of catch up on the news and things in ways that a quick flight back doesn't allow for. But the sad reality is that the human mind is no more designed for war than the human body is, and even minimal exposure to combat damages it some; the more the exposure the greater the damage, and different people have different tolerances as with everything.

[william e grant]

The trouble with the new generation is that they are willing to give away there freedoms for a few perukes.

[0l6ayi4i4armi]

This is true william, they couldn't do what the Greatest Generation did, because those people did Without A Lot, and I dont think the Me generation could do it, unless made to. It really comes down to one question: do theywant Freedom or do they want the govt to take care of them cause they really aint gonna do it the way they want it?

[Shane S.]

Twana,

Thank You for posting this. It is a very tough read, but one that is needed. Needed so that those at home understand better what our brave soldiers are facing when they come home. Each and every family of a soldier needs, deserves and should have our prayers and blessings each night.

[Charlyreddog]

God Bless this family. I have lived with PTSD it seems for a lifetime. It is hard to wake up and not know which person will be there. There is no planning because over the years my husband has become increasingly a homebody. Most wives would love that. PTSD wives feel trapped by it. The outside world becomes more distant every year. It is the hours he sits and digs at his fingers that have never understood. If he would just share that with me. But he digs until his fingers bleed. The list is never ending and each day I live another life. However, I have chosen to live that life with him because I love him. War is Hell and some of them never return. Keep you chin up, Trust in God to walk with you through the tough time and - those times when all seems perfect - Thank God and enjoy them.

[1m8wugvaeqdba]

Does not matter what war one served in, mine was Korea all are full of doubt,unanswerable questions,unspoken thoughts, Dark frightful nights/both mixed with days of anxiety,desperate to regain the past & become part of that time again,wound tight,feeling numb but moving ,following directions,counting time before depatures to a made up life awaiting. Yes its ways the same to various degrees. But some find life after "Death" here on earth. Semper Fi B.fox

[0l6ayi4i4armi]

Bless your heart dear and please tell your husband how much we appreciate and honor his service to his country.

[0l6ayi4i4armi]

No, my husband is, 3 tours in the Air Force.