Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer, RIP
by David Benzion · 07/08/2008 7:03 amVery sad news–Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer, who captured America’s heart when photographed rescuing a young boy during the initial invasion of Iraq, has succumbed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
… 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. For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear.
On June 28, Dwyer, 31, died of an accidental overdose in his home in Pinehurst, N.C., after years of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. During that time, his marriage fell apart as he spiraled into substance abuse and depression. He found himself constantly struggling with the law, even as friends, Veterans Affairs personnel and the Army tried to help him.
The tale’s full details are awful; this poor man suffered immensely.
Thankfully, military officials have recently begun to take steps to encourage our troops to seek help in response to PTSD. No one thinks a solider “weak” for seeking treatment of their physical wounds, and we should think no differently of the violence combat can inflict on their psyches.
If you are a soldier or veteran who needs help–or know one who does–please don’t hesitate. The Department of Veterans Affairs has this website, and this appears to be a well-informed blog on related issues as well.
RIP.
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I read about him yesterday. Sad. There is help available, one of the first things they told us about when I checked into my unit was about PTSD. The military takes it serious. I had an uncle that was at Khe-Sanh, he suffered from PTSD and did some of the same things that Dwyer did, piling furniture against the wall to barricade himself in and other things. I had another uncle that was at the battle of Chosin Reservoir and was never right after that. Neither of them had the kinds of help available today. They drank, a lot. First responders suffer from it too but usually to a lesser degree. There are things that people see and are called upon to do that just stick with them. There’s an image of the body of a 6 yr old little boy that I once stood over that I will never forget. There are others, but that one is the worst. When people die in violent and tragic ways, the ones that were there never forget and will always have that baggage to carry around. Imagine all the good things in your life that make you smile when you recall them. Now, the flip-side is to witness things one should never see and carry those memories around forever. All of that death and destruction is not healthy for your headgear. I’ve seen things that disturb me to this day when I recall them. Sometimes a smell or a sound or something will trigger a memory. Seriously, if you know anyone that suffers, make sure they get help. Don’t let them down (I’m not saying that his family did any thing wrong) check up on them, make sure they go to therapy, whatever it takes. If you suffer, don’t let it destroy you. You can recover, get the help you need and do it now! There’s no shame in needing this type of help and taking it. The shame is when help is available and it is not taken.
The sad part about a lot of these kinds of illnesses is that the person who really needs the help and who could really benefit from it doesn’t necessarily realize they need the help.
Faster: Thank you for your service to our country as a soldier and now as a cop. Smells are the most powerful trigger of emotions/memories as the scent receptors in our nose are actually extensions of our brain and the scent recognition processors in our brain is in the “primitive” part. Isn’t it amazing how no one thinks twice when someone needs insulin for an unhealthy pancreas but when dealing with the organ we call the brain, the black box, somehow that is different. Mental illness is real and in many cases very sucessfully treatable; just like most other illnesses. Thanks again for your service.
It is imperative that we take care of these guys for the rest of their lives. We should contribute to charities etc. for them and their families.
God rest his soul. He’s amongst friends now with no troubles. PTSD can show signs for years unrecognized by the victim. They can come crashing down a decade or more later. It’s something virtually every veteran from every war suffers, on all sides - unless they are crazy to begin with. The overwhelming majority of men and women get through it by their own means. A strong faith makes a huge difference. Drugs and alcohol can severely magnify the problems though. That’s where good small unit leaders can make a huge difference - guiding their troops into productive forms of recreation and watching for the danger signs. Yet so many of our warriors volunteer to go back for more. My hat’s off to our military, every day of the year.
Army Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer. May you look down from above and know that there are many of us who appreciate and appreciated what you gave for your country and your fellow man.
May you Rest in Peace
#4 You are right Pimlico, He is not tormented anymore. We need to help those who are.
I can’t begin to explain how important it is the public becomes aware of the numbers of kids returning with PTSD. Most don’t come forth. After leaving the battle zone they are given a release form to sign which basically says, ” You OK? Good, sign here…”
The best thing you can do for a combat vet is LISTEN when they are ready to talk - and it might be years. But just letting them know you are there and willing to listen w/o judgement is a huge deal to them while they prepare themselves to unload. And it takes time - it comes out in bursts - just like the bursts of battle.
We MUST take care of these kids.