On April 14, 2005, Andrew was permanently "medically retired" from the military as a result of the damage caused to his brain by the anti-malaria drug Lariam. The side effects of this drug were found to have been responsible for causing his panic attacks in Iraq. Before leaving the military, Andrew had been promoted to Sergeant First Class, the position he held upon retiring. He hasn't fully recovered from the damage the drug caused to his brain stem, but has undergone physical therapy to improve certain brain functions. He compares his situation to that of a person who suffers a mild stroke and needs therapy to regain certain skills.

The U.S. military has cleared him of all wrongdoing and acknowledged they were wrong in charging him with a crime that he never committed, and that the anti-malaria drug directly caused the side effects that lead to his panic attacks.

Since retiring from the military, Andrew has become involved in veterans advocacy work and is outreach coordinator and investigator for Veterans for America, working directly with Steve Robinson.

He's also established a free-of-charge community mental health program for active duty service members and returning veterans. Operation Just One connects veterans with mental-health practitioners who have agreed to give free care.

In March 2005, Rob Sarra graduated from the police academy and for the past two years he's been a police officer in the Chicago area. Rob reports he is doing well in general and is getting on with his life. At the time of the original broadcast he was involved with Iraq Veterans Against the War, but since then he resigned and is no longer involved with the organization.

At the time of the original broadcast of "The Soldier's Heart" (March 2005), Jeff Lucey's Marine reserve unit - 1st Truck Platoon of the 6th Motor Transport Battalion - was in Iraq. They came back to the States several months later and in the fall of 2005 another detachment from the unit deployed to Iraq. They returned in early 2006.