My Marine son's second deployment to Iraq took a terrible toll on him. I think having to live with being mortared almost daily when he was in Ramadi was the cause of his severe PTSD. His gunnery sergeant was killed by a mortar minutes after my son, Chris, said "good-bye, see you tomorrow". My son had so many close calls and was in crisis before he returned home, as he was in Communications and was actually able to call us quite often, even if we got the calls at 2 in the morning. He returned to Camp Pendleton and was soon discharged, but not before he found one of his buddies cutting himself in the shower. Soon after that that young Marine returned to his home in Texas and shot himself. It took almost 10 years for our son to return to a normal life, if that will ever be, which included about two years of not coming out of his bedroom except for food, one overdose, DUI's, and not wanting to live. We supported him every step of the way. So many others wound up on the streets, and many people told us to give up and kick him out of our house
Chris has two friends in prison now, though not from his group of Marines, although one was a Marine and one was Army. There are so many of these veterans with so many issues.
For an update, Chris got married to a beautiful, sweet girl in 2017, bought a home, has a good job, and is expecting his first child in November. My husband and I never thought we could be so fortunate, and we are thankful every day. Plus he still calls us on the phone, but usually just to have a "happy" chat.
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