Thirty percent of Vietnam Veterans suffer from PTSD.
IRON MOUNTAIN -- Dennis Peterson and Ronald Lee Olson are two Vietnam Veterans, long retired from combat, yet they are still fighting a war...mentally.
"I think about why wasn't it you that's on that wall,” said Vietnam Veteran Dennis Peterson. Feeling guilty all your life because you made it back and these guys didn't."
Peterson and Olson are among thousands of Vietnam Veterans nationwide suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, an anxiety condition that is caused by a traumatic or life-threatening event. The condition is often seen in soldiers returning home from war.
"I was scared to death,” said Vietnam Veteran Ronald Lee Olson. “Whenever I would see somebody that had been killed, a lot of times they were people that you knew. It's just extremely scary."
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, about 30 percent of Vietnam Veterans suffer from PTSD, higher than any other war over the last 40 years.
Peterson believes one reason could be the way he and other veterans were treated when they returned home.
"The lack of respect was actually so bad,” Peterson said. “There was a long time in my life that if I was with people I didn't know, I wouldn’t even admit that I was a Vietnam Veteran because people would almost take a step back, take a step away from you."
Both men also struggled with their family lives. They said they were distant and often very difficult to deal with.
The help they received can be seen in all aspects of their lives, but especially with their family lives.
Peterson and Olson waited decades before deciding to get help from the VA Hospital, but both have seen tremendous improvements in their lives since.
"Counseling has been wonderful,” Olson said. “I'm able to cope with day-to-day life now."
Both men stressed the importance of getting help if you are a veteran having problems.
Since receiving help with his own problems, Peterson has been working to pass the message to others.
"That's one of my missions in life now,” he said, “is to help other veterans get help from the VA system."
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC