Photo By Sgt. Paul Holston | Retired Cpl. Steven Patterson (left), a native of Oxford, Ala., points out the battle...... read more read more
BAGHDAD— While many wounded warriors suffer from physical injuries, retired Cpl. Steven Patterson suffers from another type of pain: mental ailment from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
PTSD is a mental condition that can affect a person who has had a very shocking or difficult experience, such as fighting in a war, and is usually characterized by depression, anxiety and other emotional issues. Many veterans from the Iraq and Afghaninstan wars have returned home with some type of PTSD, ranging from minimal to extreme.
Patterson joined the Army, Feb. 10, 2005 as a cavalry scout, eager to learn his job and to become the best at it.
Although he received a Purple Heart for being physically injured while deployed to Forward Operating Base Normandy, Muqdadiyah, Iraq in 2007, Patterson says he doesn’t consider that to be his true injury. He was MEDEVAC'ed for traumatic brain injury from the constant roadside bombs, but discovered later he would have PTSD from the images and memories. He was a part of A Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
“PTSD is what I actually battled with. I didn’t know about it until I got back,” Patterson said. “That’s when everyone figures it out; when they calm down.”
Patterson said he witnessed some of his fellow comrades injured and even some killed, but even more grueling were the images that began to stick inside his head. As he was tasked with retrieving his wounded comrades and bringing them back to base, he embodied the warrior ethos: ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade.’
“At the time, I had never been so scared in my life,” he said. “Being covered in blood from my best friends and fellow soldiers, I just remember being petrified and horrified. It slowly started to sink in.”
As he would go through many treatments for his illness, Patterson said he was getting better, but wasn’t at the same time. One of his psychiatrists told him ‘you will never be cured of PTSD. You’ll get better, but you’ll never be cured of it.’ Patterson was relieved. He told himself, “I needed to stop trying to cure myself and learn to overcome and adapt it.”
When Patterson heard of Operation Proper Exit, he jumped at the opportunity, wanting to come back to Iraq. OPE is a mission designed for wounded service members that allows them to return to the war zone where they sustained their injuries in battle, as well as helping them in their healing process.
Patterson was able to see the site where he was injured. While most of the other participants of OPE X would pause a moment, gazing and observing with emotions inside, he was smiling with excitement.
“I felt like a kid in a candy store,” he said. “I couldn’t stop smiling, I was excited. I was able to pick out my exact barracks from where I was as well. It was beyond closure for me.”
As an aspiring photographer and having the dream of being able to go to officer candidate school, Patterson will use everything he has gained to motivate himself to turn his dreams to reality.
“Photography has saved my life. It has given me a sense of being and a reason to do things every day,” said Patterson. “I desire to go back, try to go to OCS and see if they’ll let me. The military has always been my dream, and when I came to this trip, it opened my eyes and sealed the deal that I can still do this. I was prior enlisted so I have that experience under my belt to help me lead Soldiers.”
Having been able to come back to Iraq, Patterson said the atmosphere relit his passion for the military.
“Here, I met six other wounded troops and a whole bunch of new friends,” said Patterson. “This experience has been beyond of what I expected. What I’ve gotten from this trip is more then what I dreamed of. I got way more than closure … it made me realize why I do it. With telling my story, if I could just touch one person out there, that’ll be worth it for me.”
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2011 09:44 |
| Story ID: | 73348 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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