- WE WERE GETTING HAMMERED EVERY DAY.
WE WERE JUST GETTING SHOT AT.
- THE STENCH OF BODIES.
- THERE WAS A LOT OF EXPOSURE
TO A LOT OF POWERFUL WEAPONS AT THAT TIME.
- AND YOU'RE SEEING JUST THESE PUFFS OF DIRT EVERYWHERE.
- WE GOT HIT WITH LARGE ORDNANCE.
- A COUPLE OF THEM DID LOSE THEIR LIVES.
- HIS WEAPON WAS CAKED WITH BLOOD AND DIRT.
- ANGER, ANGUISH.
- THE THINGS THAT I, YOU KNOW, SAW, SMELLED,
STARTED THINKING ABOUT STARTED TO ESCALATE.
- IF IT'S MY TIME TO DIE, IT'S GONNA BE MY TIME TO DIE.
A LOT OF STUFF STOPS MATTERING.
- THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS AND SMELLS OF THOSE OPERATIONS
ABSOLUTELY CONTRIBUTED TO WHERE I AM TODAY.
I SPEND A LOT OF EFFORT TRYING TO COVER IT
SO PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WHAT I'M DOING,
AND THAT BECOMES VERY TIRESOME SOMETIMES.
- I KNEW I HAD ADJUSTMENT ISSUES
WHEN I FIRST RETURNED.
I KNOW I HAD ANGER ISSUES.
I KNEW I HAD ALL THESE SYMPTOMS,
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT I REALLY EVER PUT A NAME TO IT.
- I DON'T KNOW HOW TO NOT ANALYZE EVERY SINGLE PERSON
AND JUDGE IF THEY'RE A THREAT TO ME OR NOT.
THAT'S MY PTSD.
AND IT'S JUST DEVASTATING, BECAUSE I CAN'T RELAX
TO HAVE EVEN A VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER WITH MY WIFE.
- HEY, BRENDAN, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR PARTICIPATING.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
- THESE SOLDIERS ARE COMING BACK
WITH LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS REALLY TRYING TO FIND OUT
AS MUCH ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT ONCE
IN THESE SOLDIERS, IN THESE VETERANS--
THEIR PSYCHIATRIC ISSUES, THEIR NEUROBIOLOGICAL ISSUES,
AND EVEN THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL ISSUES.
- THIS IS REALLY THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY
WHERE WE'VE SEEN THE CONJOINT
OF BOTH MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
AND PTSD COMING TOGETHER
AT THE SAME TIME IN THE SAME INDIVIDUAL.
- I THINK IT'S SOMETIMES THE FIRST TIME
WHERE THEY'VE BEEN ABLE
TO DESCRIBE ALL OF THEIR SYMPTOMS,
BOTH HEAD INJURY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA RELATED,
ALL IN ONE PLACE TO THE SAME PERSON,
AND SO I THINK IT CAN BE VERY EMPOWERING
AND VALIDATING FOR THEM
TO HAVE SOMEONE HEAR THE FULL STORY.
- IT'S GONNA MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, GET WELL OVERNIGHT
BUT THE FACT THAT YOU CAN MANAGE IT
AND HAVE A NORMAL LIFE WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
AND TO BE ABLE TO FUNCTION IN SOCIETY LIKE ANYBODY ELSE.
- THE TRACTS PROGRAM HAS BEEN AWESOME.
IT HAS HELPED ME LOOK AT SITUATIONS
THAT I'M DEALING WITH
FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
INSTEAD OF BEING A VICTIM,
I LOOK AT IT AS ME BEING A SURVIVOR,
AND I KNOW HOW TO COPE BETTER...
- THANK YOU SO MUCH.
- AND I JUST FEEL A LOT HAPPIER.
- WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH PTSD SINCE ACHILLES,
AND THIS IS SOME OF THE FIRST RESEARCH
THAT'S REALLY GOING INTO PTSD AND WHAT IT IS SCIENTIFICALLY.
- FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THE DAY
WHEN OUR PARTICIPANTS GET OFF THE ELEVATOR,
WE GREET THEM,
AND WE SPEND A FEW MINUTES TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE.
WE DO BLOOD PRESSURE
AND A NUMBER OF OTHER MEDICAL PROCEDURES
TO KIND OF CHARACTERIZE THEIR OVERALL GENERAL HEALTH.
FROM THERE, PARTICIPANTS BEGIN
A VERY EXTENSIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL BATTERY
TO EXAMINE WHERE THEIR COGNITIVE FUNCTION IS AT.
WHEN THAT EVALUATION IS DONE,
WE ALSO HAVE AN EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW.
- WHEN THEY COME HERE,
THEY GET A VERY COMPREHENSIVE EXPERIENCE
WHERE I THINK THEY FEEL
THAT THEIR UNIQUE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN HEARD.
- THEIR DAY ACTUALLY WINDS UP WITH NEUROIMAGING SCANS,
WHICH LOOK AT THE ACTUAL TRANSMISSION
OF ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN.
AND WE CAN ALSO MEASURE WHETHER THERE'S ANY STRUCTURAL CHANGES
TO EITHER THE CORTEX OR THE UNDERLYING WHITE MATTER
THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRANSMISSION
OF THOSE FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS.
- IT'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE NEVER HAD BEFORE.
IT'S A LONG DAY...
- IT'S VERY NICE TO MEET YOU.
- BUT THE DAY GOES BY IN A SNAP
BECAUSE YOU MOVE FROM ONE PROCESS TO ANOTHER.
YOU DESERVE THIS OPPORTUNITY
TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH.
- IT HAS MADE ME WANT TO STAY WITH THE VA.
AND IT HAS GUIDED ME TO A VA COUNSELOR
THAT I AM WORKING WITH NOW.
SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT HOPE, I THINK IT'S JUST--
IT'S THE BETTER SIDE OF THE VA FOR ME.
- NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED FROM THE PAST,
BUT OUR FUTURE IS STILL AHEAD.
AND EVERY DAY IS A STRUGGLE,
BUT AS LONG AS YOU LEARN FROM ALL THE TACTICS
AND EXPERIENCES THAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH,
THAT YOUR LIFE CAN BE MUCH EASIER THAN IT HAS BEEN.
- IF THEY CAN JUST MAKE THAT FIRST STEP,
THEN THEY'LL START MEETING ACTUAL PEOPLE,
AND THEN THE PEOPLE AND THE RELATIONSHIPS
WILL GET THINGS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
- THEY WANT TO COME IN; THEY WANT TO PARTICIPATE,
BECAUSE THEY'RE HOPING FOR THAT CATHARTIC FEELING
THAT THEY'RE WHOLE AGAIN.
- NOW THAT I'VE FOUND THIS PROGRAM,
I HAVE GREAT HOPE THAT THIS IS GONNA WORK FOR ME.
AT LEAST, I CAN SPEAK ABOUT MYSELF.
I BELIEVE THAT I WILL GET BETTER.
I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS GOING TO HELP ME.
- VA RESEARCH: IMPROVING VETERANS' LIVES.