Maj. Tom Blackburn, Wyoming Military Department public affairs officer and master of ceremonies at a Governor’s Proclamation signing event designating June 27 as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Day in Wyoming at the Joint Force Readiness Center in Cheyenne June 23. Blackburn said the event was “very personal to him,” as he was diagnosed with PTSD in 2009. “I’m a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, with over 300 missions in the city of Mosul as a tank platoon leader. There I experienced intensive combat events and returned home a changed man,” he told the crowd of military members, first responders, veteran health care providers and public officials prior to the signing by Gov. Matthew Mead, commander in chief of the Wyoming National Guard.
The governor along with Maj. Gen. Luke Reiner, Wyoming adjutant general, thanked the assembled and family members and colleagues, whom too, often suffer with the affected. They urged all Wyoming residents to learn more about the mental health condition that, if untreated, often leads to drug and alcohol abuse, heart attack, relationship issues and even suicide, among other issues. Those who suffer the symptoms, usually brought on by a traumatic or life-threatening event and persistently re-experienced through memories usually display nervousness, fatigue from lack of sleep and other symptoms. Most of the roughly eight percent of the population affected with PTSD are war veterans, law enforcement officers, first responders, sexual assault or abuse survivors and accident victims.
The stigma of a mental health condition often prevents sufferers from seeking help, but there are treatments including therapy and medication, or both, and successful outdoor activity programs. Reiner urged people to reach out to those who exhibit symptoms and offer assistance and support. (Wyoming Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jimmy McGuire/released)
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2016 17:05 |
| Photo ID: | 2685557 |
| VIRIN: | 160623-Z-CG686-002 |
| Resolution: | 3280x4928 |
| Size: | 3.53 MB |
| Location: | WY, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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