Army sergeant Victor Estela struggled with a debilitating mental fog when he came home after serving in Iraq. It enveloped his life, leaving him exhausted by simple tasks such as reading or driving. Over time, the exhaustion morphed into gnawing suicidal urges.
“I didn’t want to live if this was what life was going to be,” the 53-year-old softly admits.
Military members returning to life following deployment—particularly those who saw combat—often have devastating physical injuries and mental health issues that continue long after they retire from service.
Captain Dustin McClure endured both during his 12 years of active service in the U.S. Army.
There’s the shattered disc in his lower back. A 7mm, semi-circular gunshot scar on the outside of his right knee. Migraines so bad his vision blurs and his speech slurs, symptoms of his traumatic brain injury. Twin hearing aids are a reminder IED explosions are hell on the eardrums.
The Bronze Star recipient—in line to be awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart—also had PTSD and erectile dysfunction.
Infantryman Mike Heusel’s crippling depression arose following back-to-back tours in Afghanistan. “I was in a dark place. For years,” admits the 33-year-old. “I couldn’t keep a job, I was drinking too much, I was self-medicating.”
“I didn’t know what was next. I didn’t care.”
When they enlisted, Estela, McClure, and Heusel knew they might die defending their country. However, none knew it was possible to leave the military with an enemy combatant within their own body; a biological festering foe, strengthened only as a result of the repeated physical and mental stressors of combat.
Low testosterone.