A Marine deals with PTSD - Prize winning photo-essay

[huskernut]

This year's Pulitzer in feature photography went to a Denver Post photographer for this essay. As he said when it was announced, "[the Marine] is the one that deserves the credit on this one."

Thought provoking.

http://photos.denverpost.com/mediace...6/#name%20here

Here's the link on the photographer, FWIW:

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingne...pulitzer-prize

[BasilLongfellow]

""We send these kids off to war -- we make them see things people otherwise wouldn't have to see. Then we expect them to come back and behave like the rest of us. It's breaking my heart, and we have to do something about it. As far as criminal justice goes, we need to look at these people differently."

Read more: Photo Essay: Welcome Home, The Story of Scott Ostrom | Denver Post Photos, Video http://photos.denverpost.com/mediace...#ixzz1sGaUpRhu
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse "

Quote from photo #27.

I have had the absolute pleasure to represent two Iraq vets in DUI defenses. These guys both got sent over there and experienced unimaginable things. The Army and Marines sent them home and expected them to be citizens again. Not going to happen.

If they showed 1/2 the bravery on the battlefield that they showed in the cases I represented them, they are amazing men. Each man was dead to rights in the DUI case. Each man spent a night re-living memories with squad members and turned to the bottle then drove. The military sent them home and gave them NO opportunity or avenue to receive counseling or therapy with what they experienced.

In each case, each man allowed me to convince them to seek alcohol and ptsd treatment from private providers. Each man took on their issues with courage and addressed their issues. Kudos goes to the prosecutors in each case in recognizing the men's challenges and accomplishments in therapy and pled down their cases. In the Marine's case, the prosecutor pled down a .27 to reckless driving after the Marine saved himself through therapy. In the Army case, the prosecutor pled down 6th offense dui to 3rd offense. My guy got a dui every time he came back from Iraq. 5 tours. They kept sending him and expected him to be normal. Not going to happen. Thankfully, he has been sober since.

Both men are some of the finest I've ever met.

I wish our government would give these men the tools to succeed in society when they get home. They deserve it. Nay, they've earned it.

[Nishioka]

Great work by the photographer for sure. Some of those pictures are really hard to look at. Really puts things in perspective when this guy goes through what he goes through, and the worst thing that happened to me last week was somebody cut me off in traffic.

[huskernut]

These kind of pictures are troubling to me. In a way, its kind of like they make me worry I've spent money I don't have, or I've incurred a debt I can't repay.

[Big Red Rick]

Wow. That was amazing. I read through each of the captions, and didn't realize 20 mins had passed. I couldn't hear anything, didn't notice anything around me, and usually I'm ninja at that.

Thanks for sharing.

[Pops]

Thanks for sharing. Doing work at the VA you get to hear these kind of stories....Put to pictures and letting this man vent probably has helped him more than anything else.

[RussianRed]

Thanks for sharing. Doing work at the VA you get to hear these kind of stories....Put to pictures and letting this man vent probably has helped him more than anything else.

Agree totally!