Page 957 - Total War on PTSD

deteriorating, it was difficult to simply take care of all my medical needs. Once I received Lizzy, my unit denied me the request to bring her to work; so I was moved to the Warrior Transition Unit. There, Lizzy was accepted, and my only focus was m medical care — and it was outstanding.
Most of my issues were caused through my profession, both in the garrison setting and while deployed — seeing injured and dying military members in the hospital, blown up, missing body parts, burying the same soldiers by way of memorial services and ramp ceremonies. While deployed to Iraq I was in a medical unit — it's all we dealt with. In Afghanistan, our unit was responsible for a huge area of operations, multiple units, services, and countries. I can't even begin to guess how many Soldiers I have watched come off the aircraft in the worst of conditions, die, or get sent home in a box. Dealing with the aftermath of the fallen Soldiers, be it by their fellow Soldiers, leaders, family and friends just adds to it. This is another reason my issues were held in for so long — my job was to take care of everyone else.
I also have the same problems, caused from a career filled with sexual harassment and assault. The pressure and harassment I was forced to deal with as a female in uniform was overwhelming. And through my 29 years of service it never got better...it was just hidden better. I was sexually assaulted twice while deployed, once by a brother-in-arms, and once by an Afghanistan local. There are at least three others, and countless harassment situations, which wears on you emotionally and changes you psychologically, forever. This in itself has its own set of triggers, which have contributed to, along with combat, my alienating myself. I have one, maybe two friends, that I talk to and can trust, occasionally, and my boyfriend. That is the gist of my social network and friends. Lizzy makes it all bearable. I have multiple personal traumas from my home life, before and during the military as well, that I am dealing with, that also
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