Medic in famous photo dies after PTSD struggle »
Posted By Aidenag 3 months ago in NewsDuring the first week of the war in Iraq, a Military Times photographer captured the arresting image of Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer as he raced through a battle zone clutching a tiny Iraqi boy. But rather than going on to enjoy the public affection for his act of heroism, he was consumed by the demons of combat stress he could not exorcise.
Read Full Story at militarytimes.com »
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Aidenag
Photographer by day, news junkie by night. My main areas of interest are politics and the environment. If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions ...
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Comments So Far: 44
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unome23 months ago
Imagine the horror for our young idealistic soldiers who believed they were going to help the Iraqi people and instead watched as innocent civilians were bombed, shot and terrorized by the U.S. Military for our corporate masters.
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PsychoHosebeast3 months ago
Keep telling yourself that, maybe you'll be convinced sooner or later. We all know, of course, that no Americans have ever killed anyone in Iraq, right?
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xlegultx3 months ago
Its amazing how absolutely none of you have any idea how this man was traumatized but you will easily accept the fact that he served under a barbaric country. No wonder we haven't made any advancements in anything, seeing how no one in this country seems to be able to see straight right now.
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bigurn3 months ago
You might consider saving your venom for another time and place. A good man has died, and that's sin enough for one posting.
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debtcollectionorComment removed: User banned.2 Replies
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Charlson3 months ago
His story is so sad. Some people are just not able to innoculate themselves from the horrors and stresses of war while others are able to cope.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.
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foksipayne3 months ago
I posted this yesterdy,too. Didn't get any attention from it. but I am glad I am not the only one saddened by this, and the many other cases of ptsd. The photo is a beautiful reminder of the honor and courage our soldiers have. Bless them all.
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nikkibabe3 months ago
One instance of "humanity" does not right thousand & thousand instances of murder, rape and senseless killing of innocent Iraqi men, women and children for oil.
Also, it is a tragedy of the century that the so called "Iraqi Government" is nothing but a hand full of corrupt Iraqis who condone the mass murders of their own fellow citizens to get "money" from US Government.
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canadianrancher573 months ago
There are two things that sadden me about this story, the first one is the death on a man who did things for the right reasons, he wanted to defend his country and stop the people who brought death to his countrymen, so he joined up. Then when in Iraq serving his country he did not lose sight of what was right and what was wrong and saved the life of a child. I will not go into whether the war is right or wrong because we cannot turn back time but I would like to focus on the second thing that is sad about this story and that is that since the beginning of wars PTSD has occured and it seems no government anywhere does much to deal with it. There have been wars fought under Democrats and Republicans and all of these wars caused PTSD. While sitting here feeling sad about this maybe we should start making our leaders and governments make the changes for the future so that the help is more than just lip service.
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foksipayne3 months ago
That's what I've heard, what with the Veteran hospital scandal, the unreceived college tuitions, Soldiers being sued/ kicked out for refusing to do something they knew would be wrong or immoral.
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bigurn3 months ago
Depends upon what you mean by "support". Everything I am familiar with personally is Federal.
The military has Medical departments for Psychiatry and Phisiology. They treat obvious injuries, and treat intangible injuries. There are programs that treat alcoholism and drug problems. There are counseling services for marriage problems. There are religious services avaiable for confession, meditation and prayer (dozens of faiths are served, by the way).
I understand VA services are similar, but I've never personally used them. They also offer the support of Veteran's groups, with folks who've "been there". Again, I don't know details.
I've heard that USO volunteers have been trained in emergency support for something that may happen in their offices, but again I don't know for sure.
No idea what Guard units do - they're state units, but I bet it's similar and the Federal government at least supports it.
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canadianrancher573 months ago
bigurn- Thanks for the info, I might be going out on a limb here but I think with PTSD the biggest problem is the admitting by one that there is a problem, and in this case the young man was recognized as a hero which carries an addional burden of something to live up to. There have been comments on this site by people who have suffered through this by themselves and I feel sorry for what they have gone through but if help is available then it is up to the individual to seek it out. This is a difficult problem that really may have to easy solution.
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cushi3 months ago
The war in Iraq is a travesty and a tragedy in many ways! The casualties are legion! This wonderful human being was reduced to numbing himself with drugs and aerosol spray. What is wrong with this picture?
He was and is a true hero for his service and sacrifice. My condolences go out to his family and all who knew him best and loved him most.
For the love of God, BRING OUR SOLDIERS OUT OF THAT HELL HOLE!!
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