A veteran fights alone-Jeremy Smith survived Iraq, but a war in his head is ruining his life

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_6374754?nclick_check=1

A veteran fights alone
Jeremy Smith survived Iraq, but a war in his head is ruining his life.
RUBÉN ROSARIO
Article Last Updated: 07/15/2007 12:04:12 AM CDT

The snipers were closing in on him. Disoriented and nearly 500 miles from base, Iraq combat veteran Jeremy Daniel Smith, of Coon Rapids, nose-dived his Ford F-150 into a deep ditch, trying to elude the phantom assassins near Marmet, W.Va.

Two hours later, two West Virginia State Police troopers found the pickup truck near railroad tracks and noticed military clothing in the back. Then they spotted the disheveled young Minnesota Marine stumbling out of the woods, running frantically toward them.

"It was winter, and he had no shoes on and no coat," recalls Steven Smith, one of the troopers and now a cop in Belle, W.Va.

Steven Smith had seen drug-induced paranoia many times, during confrontations with meth users. This was different but sadly familiar.

"He looked exactly like my dad, except a younger version," says Steven Smith, whose father, a Vietnam War combat veteran, has post-traumatic stress disorder.

"There was fear in his eyes," Steven Smith added. "It was like he was still fighting the war in his mind. He ran to us for help."

more...

:shrug: They have seen and done things that they will never ever mention to anyone..

and it's heartbreaking.

The US Military now accepts ex-cons and tells people how to pass the drug tests to get in. Then when they need help while in service, they don't get it and turn to <GASP> pot, they get kicked out! There is only one word for this treatment, Cannon Fodder.....

<snip>

He went back to base duty with the motor transport division and soon clashed with a new commander. Then a test conducted by the hospital during his admittance found traces of amphetamines and marijuana, as well as Ritalin, which Smith had taken from childhood through his late teens to control attention-deficit disorder.

He was found guilty of drug use after an administrative hearing and was discharged from the service in June 2004. He returned to Minnesota. His divorce soon followed.

:grr: