SANTA MARIA, Calif. - You might think that a soldier returning from combat today might require more immediate psychological attention because everything's fresh. One veteran from the Central Coast says a soldier from World War II needs just as much attention as any other.
"Veterans from all conflicts suffer post traumatic stress disorder to some degree or another," says Patrick Sturm, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization in Nipomo.
Sturm joined the Air Force when he was 19. After a handful of years with the Air Force, including a stint at Vandenberg Air Force Base, he served on active duty with the Marine Corps in the Navy from 1989 to 2005. He says he still suffers from symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. Although his memories of service are far more recent than older veterans, Sturm says he's seen worse cases of PTSD.
"A veteran from World War II came up to me and started weeping," says Sturm. "And he was crying about dropping bombs on Germany during WWII. And he had been carrying that grief all those years. And I'm afraid he probably carried that grief to the grave with him."
Therapist James Goodwin says, "it is universal and it should be ongoing. You don't get a patch. It's not something you fix and it goes away."
Goodwin has had many veteran patients who suffered from PTSD. He says treatment for service members young and old is essentially the same. But Vietnam veterans in particular sometimes had an extra issue along with PTSD.
"With veterans, at least in Vietnam era, not only was there problems with mental health, but also problems with drug and alcohol abuse," says Goodwin.
