Specialist Fifth Class Dwight H. (Skip) Johnson, raised in a Detroit ghetto by a single mom, broke free of the status quo, became an altar boy, an explorer scout and then enlisted in the US Army. Trained as a tanker, he was assigned to an M-48 Tank Company in Vietnam. One fateful day, his company was ambushed by a large contingent of North Vietnamese, whereupon his and the Platoon Sergeant's tanks were disabled. The assault was overwhelming.

However, Skip began an offensive of his own, firing the 90 MM Cannon of his tank until it jammed, then expending the ammo of his .50 caliber machine gun. Next, grabbing a sub-machine gun and vaulting from his tank, he fired into the few remaining NVA, even dropping one with a rifle butt. While experiencing sustained ground fire, he had extracted a wounded tanker from the adjacent tank and moved him to safety. He stayed in the fight until the NVA were vanquished. For his conspicuous actions, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. But the story doesn't end there.

You see, Skip soon was to return home where no-one knew of his gallantry. He came home withdrawn and reluctant to speak of his Vietnam service. He continuously experienced severe stomach pains and sought help from military doctors, all of whom misdiagnosed his symptoms as gastro-intestinal problems. The symptoms worsened and he was scheduled in for psychiatric evaluation. The symptoms intensified and mental treatments worsened their effects. More traumas were caused when the Army decided to exploit his "hero-status" during recruiting programs. This caused him much distress as he thought himself unworthy of any great honor associated with the functions and ceremonies while recruiting.

His problems continually worsened from compounding debts. Finally, he had enough! One evening, he decided to hold up a corner grocery store. In a severely botched holdup, he was shot dead. How could this be? It wasn’t until ten years later that the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was coined. Finally, someone had identified this extremely debilitating disease that affects many combat weary veterans. How ironic that Skip Johnson, a combat hero, was destroyed by severe emotional complications brought on by nagging memories of his exploits while destroying the enemy.

POSTSCRIPT: Spec 5 Johnson is only one of thousands of veterans suffering the effects of PTSD. He was a rare individual, but his story is not rare! There are literally thousands of homeless veterans, thousands in VA hospitals, and thousands more doomed to mediocrity because they are left to their own demise; totally unaware they should seek help from others - help which must be made available by the Veterans Administration.

EPILOGUE: We now encounter veterans returning from Afghanistan, Iraq and adjacent countries where the War on Terrorism is waged. These men and women come home bearing the same unseen scars of PTSD because they were inundated daily with deadly attacks and putrefying carnage. Furthermore, this war is a different war. Today’s war is waged against random terrorists, on many fronts and exposure to deadly weapons, such as mortars, RPG's, suicide bombers, and improvised explosive devices, is a daily curse.

The number of military personnel that witness repeated horrifying events boggles the mind. Their tour ended, they head home, but, the horrors of war vividly haunt them.

The VA reveals that over 300,000 sought help for PTSD from VA facilities in FY 2005. In addition to these, surely another 100,000 or so need help, but have not requested it. Also, PTSD is aggravated by feelings of guilt and self-doubt; therefore, many troops forego mental-health treatment. We can no longer overlook our failure to treat these returning veterans. We MUST provide them with the necessary tools to become self-reliant and respectable members of society. They must be sought out and offered treatment. Anything less will be a cop-out!

Now, consider this: If only one tour in Iraq or Afghanistan corrupts the mind, guess what two or more will do! This PTSD malady is a serious condition – we need to rehabilitate, now!