I err on the side he IS a Vet with PTSD...and while the article may seem media hype..AT LEAST it will highlight the NEED for MH services at the VA...which btw the Vietnam Vets NEVER got! We are still dealing with those after effects today.
We HAVE good therapies and treatments now...Lets make sure these young vets get what they need NOW!!!
Sorry Vet, but my infantry father of WWII told me of many guys losing their minds or just shutting down or shooting themselves to get out of it, or they turned into savages and shot anything in sight.
PTDS is a real mental problem, although some do use it as an excuse. There were many cases of soldiers losing it even in Korea and Viet Nam. Not every survivor of intense combat comes home mentally intact. Not sure what this guy is about, but combat has a way of disturbing the most macho gung ho. It's a fact.
I had a friend who came back from Nam and was a total mess. Not because of killing people and the patrols, but because he was always moments away from being blown apart in rice paddies and it wore on him. He was a good soldier and did his duty, but his tour broke him down. He committed suicide back in the States, as have many Veterans.
Please don't minimize the horror of war and what it does to a person's psyche. And yes, I was lucky to not be there on the ground but know enough to understand that some can handle it and others can't.