Army Spc. Eugene Schudlich spent a year in Iraq working as an aircraft/helicopter mechanic at Camp Taji, living on edge, never knowing when a mortar would be shot over the fence by insurgents.
Schudlich, a 2000 Brandon High School graduate, says it hasn’t been easy to readjust, partly because ‘you don’t let go of what was over there, ever.?
He says a lot of his comrades are still adjusting after returning to Fort Hood, Texas in November 2006, and a few aren’t.
‘People who would never have gotten in trouble before are doing things they shouldn’t,? he said. ‘Drinking is up a lot, and so is drug use since we’re back. A lot had divorces, their wives couldn’t take them being away.?
Readjustment issues after war are common, says Dr. Matt Friedman, executive director of the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Vermont and a professor of psychiatry.
‘This war has been particularly challenging for the troops, because there is essentially no down time,? he said. ‘It’s a 24/7 type of experience. They’re constantly in danger or potentially in danger from any direction.?
Peggy Willoughby, public affairs officer for the NCPTSD, says a research study published in July 2004 in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that up to 20 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is defined as an anxiety disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a traumatic event, including military combat.
Friedman says how soldiers readjust after being in a war zone varies and depends on many factors, including the length of exposure to a traumatic situation and intensity of that exposure.
‘In all trauma work, whether it be 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, or other disasters, there is some sense of exposure,? he said. ‘With people in direct combat, the more exposed, the more traumatic. The greater the amount of deployment time, the greater the likelihood of having problems.?
Friedman says it also can make a difference whether the soldier deployed to Iraq was active military or a reservist or National Guard member, who may not have really expected to be sent into a war zone.
Michigan State Police Trooper Trevor Radke, of the Groveland Team, was a Marine reservist when he was sent to Iraq as part of the initial invasion in 2003. He did not see a lot of direct combat action, but occasional air attacks, rockets, and mortars.
‘For me, it was almost a surreal experience,? says Radke. ‘We took part in the invasion of a foreign land and when you find yourself in the midst of what goes on and all that that entails, I would find myself stopping to think, ‘Is this real???
Radke recalls taking downed aircraft back to the airbase on trailer beds and when stopping to move downed powerlines out of the way, Iraqi children would swarm them, asking for candy and water.
Radke thought of his own children, of which he has five, at home.
He returned to his family at the end of October 2003, one of the greatest feelings in his life, he says.
‘My wife would say that it changed me,? says Radke of the war, ‘but in ways I don’t perceive. I think more than anything, there is a period of adjustment. From my perspective, for me and anyone that returns from a combat zone, the adjustment is making the change from military to the civilian world.?
While Schudlich was deployed, his wife Amber was at home raising their infant daughter, Ericka.
‘My life stopped when I left,? says Schudlich, 25. ‘My personal life and everyone here, their life keeps going on. We had a year where everyone here has learned to live without you being here and you come back to think everything is the same, but you’re not really needed, because everything that needed to be done, they’re doing on their own now.?
Friedman says readjustment is not only for the soldier, but for the family.
‘When a partner or parent is gone for a year, the family has to go on,? he said. ‘After a rocky first three or four months, people adapt. A wife has to fix the kitchen sink, balance finances. She may get to like that and may not be ready to hand over responsibilities. There are changes in the spouse and kids left behind.?
Sheila Collins is on her second tour of duty in Iraq, while her family, including husband Tom and three children, including Randy, 17, Leah, 14, and Tyler, 12, remain behind in Ft. Knox, Ky.
Collins? mother, Ortonville resident JoeAnn Ball, says it is difficult for her daughter to be away from her children.
‘Her family is doing very, very good,? says Ball. ‘It is harder on the girl than the boys. (Sheila) feels she’s missing out on a lot with the kids, but there’s nothing she can do about it.?
Byron Travis, who returned in November 2003 from a 6-month stint in Iraq, wants to go back, saying he feels he hasn’t done enough. He hasn’t had any trouble adapting, but notes he has been home for awhile.
‘I doubt anyone will come out of an experience like combat unchanged,? says the 2000 Brandon High School graduate, now stationed in Fort Benning, Ga. ‘I don’t think, nor have I ever been told, that I’m a different person. I guess if anything I am all the more able to conquer adversity because most situations I deal with here don’t compare to Iraq. My wife always asks me, ‘why don’t you ever get stressed???
Radke agrees that compared with Iraq, life at home is docile, predictable, and routine. He would have been more than willing to return to Iraq, but says it is difficult to contemplate without support of family and friends. He also acknowledges that at some level, he probably has changed.
‘What experience in life doesn’t change you in some minute way?? he asks. ‘I’m the same person, but I’ve seen and experienced some things that most people have not. You have to appreciate in life some things you took for granted.?
Friedman say this war has many differences from other wars, such as Vietnam and the first Iraq war (Operation Desert Storm), including a lower mortality rate for wounded soldiers. In previous wars, he said 25 percent of the wounded died, whereas now, because of incredible medical capabilities, it is down to 10 percent of wounds being fatal.
He notes that the amount of exposure and trauma to troops now is greater than in the first Iraq war, but how the current conflict will compare to Vietnam remains to be seen.
‘Most of the Vietnam vets seeking mental health treatment are older,? says Friedman. ‘PTSD wasn’t even instituted as a diagnosis until 1980. Now the VA (Veteran’s Administration) has a wonderful array of treatment options. The problem is, will they come? The stigma of mental illness is there, as well as these problems are so fresh, it may take a few years to confront that they are not the man or woman they were before and they may need help.?