JARED MILLER Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Friday, July 4, 2008 12:00 am
CHEYENNE - Like the rest of the nation, Wyoming is at war.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 1,700 Wyoming men and women in all branches of the military have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, state figures show.
A total of 28 services members with ties to Wyoming have been killed. Dozens more were injured and received Purple Hearts.
About 1,000 veterans of the wars are now back home, working to re-establish their civilian lives.
This Sunday, the Star-Tribune launches a series, "Back from War," about the impacts of the wars on those veterans who have served Iraq and Afghanistan and returned home to Wyoming.
For some returning warriors, the transition to civilian life has been a blessing. For others, the challenges are formidable and in many cases heartbreaking.
Combat changes those who take part in it. Many witnessed unspeakable atrocities, and many were asked to do things they will never forget.
Home from the battlefield, some now face a new enemy: the terrorizing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or the frustrating effects of traumatic brain injury, which has been called the signature wound of the Iraq war.
Others are adapting to other physical injuries, the results of explosions and skirmishes of war that left them unable to return to their former lives.
As a result of the stresses and injuries of war, some veterans are struggling to keep jobs. Others have lost families. A few have been subjected to the kind of ugly rebukes that greeted Vietnam War veterans when they returned home.
Some, meanwhile, have adjusted well and are doing fine.
Star-Tribune reporters will also update you on an effort by the state to fill in gaps in veterans' mental health services. And they'll explain how veterans cope with the long distances they sometimes must travel to receive medial care.
Over the next four Sundays, you'll meet these veterans, among others:
* Jay Thurin of Pine Bluffs, who survived serious wounds and received two Purple Hearts but is now dealing with invisible scars from his experiences in Iraq.
* Riverton native Robert Niezwaag Jr., a career Army veteran who acquired post-traumatic stress disorder during his service in Iraq and today is trying to find his place back home.
* Ric Bollen of Cheyenne, a retired airman who endured a number of explosions in Iraq and now must learn how to cope with the baffling symptoms of traumatic brain injury.
* Chris Hickman of Douglas, who says he benefited from serving two tours in the Army in Iraq.
We'll also examine whether veterans are joining organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. And we'll provide a look at what some veterans think about the wars in the Middle East.