By Claralynn Schnell of Contemporary VA
It has been 5 years since I stepped foot onto a battleground, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. Memories play through my head when I see a flag, a coffin, combat boots, a ceremony, hear the national anthem or see a solider in uniform. Not all of these memories are bad, not all are frightening, but some are, and the ones that are, can be extremely hard to handle.
I served in the most deployed unit in the United States Army. 10th Mountain Division based out of Fort Drum, NY was my home for 6 years. It was where I learned who I was, what I was made of and how to be a better a person. Countless holidays were spent in a war zone or without family because the travel was too far or a deployment was too soon impending.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be a constant battle (one I do not have) or it can rear its ugly head at just the wrong moment. Too many times people will ask about deployments and I give them little details without thinking too deeply of the war. Instead, I try to remember the people I served with and bring up those memories. I am one of the lucky, who doesn’t struggle with this debilitating disorder. PTSD has changed the lives of so many vets because they live the war each day.
Holidays become different when you have returned from combat. They are less about the gifts and so much more about the people that you are around. However, it can also leave you longing for the strong bond that occurs with a deployed unit. It can leave the solider not wanting to be with their biological family and instead with their unit family. Please do not misunderstand, no one can replace a biological family, but the people you deploy with become your brothers and sisters. They become the ones that you lean on trust and can tell anything to. They simply understand without question.
If you are a veteran struggling with PTSD or you know someone who is, please call Paul and schedule a time to talk to him. PTSD does not have to ruin or rule your life. 
