We have a son that served a year in Iraq. He was 24 when he went with his unit of 150...90% were high school buddies. Some didn't come back. Luckily he did. He is now 27. He was a gunner and rode like a sitting duck every day while patrolling the streets in Bahgdad. He saw plenty of action. He is a very strong person but there is nothing that can prepare a young man for what they went through.

Our son works with us. Today another bout of PTSD (post tramatic stress disorder) re-entered his life. I feel so helpless. His first order of business when this happens is to call one of his soldier buddies. I sent him home and gave him tomorrow off and we'll go from there. I know he has learned the tools to get through this bump in the road. I just get so scared for him and know this is something he will maybe have to deal with for a lifetime.

We are so proud of him and every other person that serves our country. We have him back. Others have not been that lucky so I shouldn't complain. I just needed to talk.

Apples - Please give your son a hug, and tell him that is a thank you from me and my family for everything he has done for the country that I was blessed to be born in. Thank God that their are people like him in this country that are willing to do what it takes to protect our safety and freedom. God Bless Him, and God Bless You for raising a fine young man. I pray God will give him whatever he needs to heal.

I'm very sorry that your son is struggling with this, apples. He is a hero to have served his country so bravely. Now maybe with a little time he can transition back to civilian life.

Amen! Please give him a hug from me also and a big thank you for his service to our country. God bless you and your family!

Thanks for the support. It's just that I was sitting here home alone and crying and needed someone to talk to. You tell yourself that everything will be okay. I just really wonder exactly what he goes through when this hits him. He has one thing going for him. He has always been a talker. He has other buddies that just cannot get it out. He talks to me about most things and I appreciate it.

I never wished that he would not have gone. It was something he believed. When he found out he was being deployed he came and got me in his truck and we drove around and talked. He said "I'm going to a hell hole but I am going to do my mission and I'll be back. I signed a contract to do this". That could not have been a prouder moment in my life. He believed in what they had to do.

I worried so much when he was over there but it seemed like we had so much more strength then. I guess it's the unknown once he is back home and when these episodes will hit him. He will handle it. I know he will.

Thanks again for your responses. It helped.

Apples - Please give your son a hug, and tell him that is a thank you from me and my family for everything he has done for the country that I was blessed to be born in. Thank God that their are people like him in this country that are willing to do what it takes to protect our safety and freedom. God Bless Him, and God Bless You for raising a fine young man. I pray God will give him whatever he needs to heal.

Ditto what Mango said. In my eyes, all those who serve our country proudly are the true heros in this world.

apples-My thoughts are with you and your family. Thank God for him and the many others who do what he does. He truly has my highest level of respect and admiration. Not that it means a lot coming from a stranger, but the men and women who do what he does.....well, it gets me emotional thinking about how hard it is for them and their families. I will pray for you and your family.

Ditto what Mango said. In my eyes, all those who serve our country proudly are the true heros in this world.

So true. It's not just about my son and our family. There are so many hundreds of thousand of families affected every day in one way or the other.

We had a family support group while our boys were away. I found myself just sitting and watching the young mothers with their toddlers and babies and wondered how they got through it. Love, devotion, strength. Not sure but they do it.

Thanks guys for your responses. I feel so much better that you listened. I didn't want to call a friend at 10:30pm...then I remembered I have you guys!:wink2:

Glad your son is home safe and sound. Now imagine all the heartache and suffering the Iraqi's are facing during this war as well. It's not our war. May God bless all the soldiers and suffering children and families in Iraq.

After my hubby got back from Baghdad he would have some hellish nightmares, but it didn't come out during his waking hours. Then he went back to Iraq and when he came back from that tour the nightmares stopped. He is a bit more on edge then he used to be, but he is still my laid back country boy I married. We already talked about things and decided that if his stress levels get to much he will go to counseling. BUT right now as it stands he is taking everything in stride and just dealing with things as they come up.

My heart goes out to your son Apples2, give him a big ol' hug from me will ya?

Glad your son is home safe and sound. Now imagine all the heartache and suffering the Iraqi's are facing during this war as well. It's not our war. May God bless all the soldiers and suffering children and families in Iraq.

One of things my son walked away with was a true pride in what they did for the Iraqis while they were over there and what is still being done. He has so many stories about the children and how they and their families are affected every day by this war. Some of the things that still haunt him have to do with the situation these families (especially the children) are in.

Thanks for your comment

Hey Pix, as I have communicated b/4, appreciate your husband and admire you for being he backup back here at home.

My son is also laid back. When I talked with him last night b/4 sending him home he stated that if he felt he needed to for for counseling, he would. He's one that most of his buddies lean on when they are having some issues with it all. If I felt that he needed more than just some time off of work to chill out, I would make sure of it.

Thanks for your response

apples2 - hugs to you and your son

pix - hugs to you and your husband

I started tearing up reading this thread and had to compose myself because I am at work. Our soldiers are truly heros and I wish them all the strength and courage! I have an ex who was/is in the military and we lost contact for awhile and I worried all the time if he was ok. I now know that he is fine.

God bless all of our troops and there loved ones!

apples2 - hugs to you and your son

pix - hugs to you and your husband

I started tearing up reading this thread and had to compose myself because I am at work. Our soldiers are truly heros and I wish them all the strength and courage! I have an ex who was/is in the military and we lost contact for awhile and I worried all the time if he was ok. I now know that he is fine.

God bless all of our troops and there loved ones!

You just gotta admire Pix and all the young women who are here holding it all together. Not only is she going through that, she had weight loss surgery on top of it all.

I admire not only our troops but all of the men and women who are friends, family and loved ones of our troops. I know what it is like to know and love a soldier and cant even imagine if he was my husband or even son. you ladies are truly amazing!

Apples2 Have I told you I lurves you yet? Young woman .. that hasn't been applied to me in years ... :tongue::tt1:

Its just one day at a time, like I tell a lot of new wives when husbands deploy for the first time. NEVER make plans, ever, you don't know what each new day will bring. This is my 6th deployment so they call me an 'old timer' now. I am the one that they come to before, during and after to help deal with things that pop up, whether its just stress or something major. At times it becomes to much for me, but other times I am glad I can be the voice of reason for a lot of these young kids that don't know what they married (read as the military not the hubbies). The day I got home from my surgery one of the young wives called me in tears because she hadn't heard from her husband in just over a day. I told her to calm down and just wait it out, lines might be down, or he could be just busy and didn't have an opportunity to email her (he did email her the next morning, they were super slammed at work). Then I took an extra dose of pain meds and told my mom to unplug all the phones.

I knew when I married my husband that he was military and the military doesn't give a rip if you are married or not when you wear that uniform. Its a lot harder for the younger kids to grasp and understand that concept that they aren't in the equation when it comes to the spouses career.