Sunday, October 23, 2005
"We didn't think of his mental health,"
BY INDRANI SEN STAFF WRITER From war hero to war haunted
What good is war? Absolutely nothing. Unless you're into the ruination of human beings (foreigners and your own).
LI vet depicted in famous image details struggle with menacing stress disorder that escalated to a standoff...
...Army Spc. Joseph Dwyer angled a mirror out the back window of his apartment in El Paso, Texas, trying to make out the Iraqis in the evening gloom. He couldn't see them, but he felt that they were out there somewhere, ready to attack...
...Dwyer, who is still in the service, is being treated by psychiatrists on the Army base in Fort Bliss, Texas. He was released on bail and faces a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in a municipality...
..."We didn't think of his mental health," said Dwyer-Ogno. "We were just so glad to have him back in our arms."
He was back, but he wasn't the same, and he continues to struggle. Dwyer can no longer go to movies or other crowded public places. At restaurants, he'll only sit facing the door, with his back to the wall. A month ago in Texas, he crashed his car when he swerved to avoid what he thought was a roadside ambush by Iraqis....
What good is war? Absolutely nothing. Unless you're into the ruination of human beings (foreigners and your own).
