Go straight to Ilona's posts at ptsdcombat.blogspot.com.

”After wars’ end, soldiers once again become civilians and return to their families to try to pick up where they left off. It is this process of readjustment that has more often than not been ignored by society.” – Major Robert H. Stretch, Ph.D in Textbook of Military Medicine: Vol. 6 Combat Stress

Welcome to PTSD Combat.

My name is Ilona Meagher, and I'm the editor of this blog and author of the book "Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops."

If you're a veteran or current service member: Welcome Home!

It is in times of war that the plight of the warrior is most in focus, when a typically disinterested public once again begins to gaze upon the interests of those who wear the uniform. It should also be a time for the rest of us to reconfirm our responsibility as a nation to the care and support of those who've sacrificed and served.

In addition to welcoming our military members and families, I’d also like to extend a warm 'thank you' to researchers, reporters, and others interested in joining with me to shine a light on this issue.

Here's a brief bit of background on me and my work:

In December 2007, I was greatly honored to have the opportunity of testifying before Congress at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on returning veteran suicide.

While not an "expert" on what Afghanistan and Iraq veterans and their families face after combat deployment when I began researching the topic in the summer of 2005, I've learned a lot over three years and counting of study and immersion.

Although I transitioned to full-time blogging on this issue in September 2005 (I'd been writing online pieces in various communities since the Columbia shuttle disaster in February 2003), PTSD Combat started up officially in February 2006.

Its creation was fueled by both the desire to have all of the data I was amassing in one place for easy access by myself and interested others like you, and a feeling that traditional media sources, in 2005 and the years following 9/11, were dropping the ball.

The stories I was finding (and collecting in the ePluribus Media PTSD Timeline) needed to be brought to the attention of the American public, and I was fortunate to find many who extended their help and skills in that purpose. While there's very little glory (and very little sleep) in this type of work, it's been rewarding to no end: especially when considering the opportunity to meet and work with the best hearts and minds that envelop the combat PTSD issue.

I thank them all, and I thank you.

My hope is that, with our combined efforts, we can better understand what our returning veterans have been through; be caring enough to be there for them in the way they and their families need; and smart enough to know that they have much to teach us. They reflect the very best -- and, yes, at times, the very worst -- of our nation's soul.

A quote from Thich Nhat Hahn, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who worked tirelessly for reconciliation between North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam war:

"Veterans are the light at the tip of the candle, illuminating the way for the whole nation. If veterans can achieve awareness, transformation, understanding, and peace, they can share with the rest of society the realities of war. And they can teach us how to make peace with ourselves and each other, so we never have to use violence to resolve conflicts again."

Thank you for stopping in.

In peace,

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Top Pages
Combat PTSD: What are the Symptoms?
Veteran Filing a PTSD Claim? Here's Help...
Need Transition Help? Free Resources...
The War List: OEF/OIF Statistics
PTSD Statistics, WWII to Iraq
PTSD Combat Home
About Us

About the Editor of PTSD Combat
Ilona Meagher's Online Biography
ePluribus Media PTSD Timeline (OEF/OIF incidents research)
On Google Knol (a Wiki on Combat PTSD)
On Amazon.com
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On Flickr

On 'Moving a Nation to Care' (Ig Publishing, 2007)
Ilona's Research, Writing and Tour Notes
Tour Photos
Latest News
Book Reviews and Blurbs
Coming Events and Presentation Archives
Chapter 6 Excerpt [pdf]
Media Kit [pdf] | Press Release
Purchase at Amazon.com