Iraq war vet tells of coping with mental ills

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070216-9999-1m16mental.html

RANCHO PENASQUITOS – Anger, depression and paranoia gripped Joe Hart when he returned from the Iraq war in April 2005.

The Ohio National Guardsman barely survived 18 months of combat only to find a different enemy waiting at home: post-traumatic stress disorder, which prevented him from holding a job or his family together.

After twice assaulting his pregnant wife, Hart decided to get professional help. He flew to California and began specialized treatment through the Veterans Affairs health system in Los Angeles. snip

“In the next few years, there are going to be a lot more people like me,” said Hart, who estimated that 90 percent of the soldiers he served with had war-induced mental illness. “It's not the military's fault. It's the situation's fault.”

“But two or three years down the line when things peak and they get in trouble, the military is going to try to kick them out. That's what they are trying do to me,” said Hart, who also has served in Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Somalia.