MSW

by Claudia Bustamante

For more than a decade, a small percentage of Americans has volunteered to join the military and take part in the nation’s longest-running wars, but the effects of combat and the transitions home impact more than just that 1 percent.

Families, friends and entire communities have been welcoming home service members whose wartime experiences can span the gamut of physical and psychological reactions, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Combat-related PTSD provides a paradox that civilian society struggles to understand, specifically how its symptoms, which on one hand, might impair a successful transition can also be considered beneficial.

“A lot of these guys […]