For Some Veterans, the Battle Continues Against PTSD

JIM LEHRER:

Now, on this Veterans Day, we have two takes on the mental stresses of war and how military men and women are dealing with them.

First, Betty Ann Bowser reports on one Marine's struggles. The report is for our Health Unit, a partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

It's a beautiful, crisp fall day in Northern Virginia, as Staff Sargent Jeremiah Workman, his wife, Jessica, and their 2.5-year-old son, Devon, play outdoors, a tranquil family scene, but one that masks the war this decorated Marine has fought, first in the streets of Iraq, and later back home, with post-traumatic stress disorder.

It all started in the city of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, in November of 2004. For weeks, Marines pounded the city in one of the most violent encounters with insurgents in the war. U.S. troops eventually regained control of the city. Then, two days before Christmas, a day Workman will never forget.

SGT. JEREMIAH WORKMAN, U.S. Marine Corps:

Yes, it was December 23, 2004. That was the day we opened Fallujah back up to the civilians to come back to their homes.

And my platoon, we were tasked with going door to door and getting weapons and ammo that were left behind during the battle. We got to the third house. And I was up in the upstairs clearing it, and then I heard gunfire open up across the street. And I kind of — I just froze for — I felt like I was stuck there for 10 minutes, but I knew that they were being ambushed.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

The house was full of insurgents, who had a group of Marines pinned down by gunfire. A fierce battle ensued.

SGT. JEREMIAH WORKMAN:

The only thing I remember seeing was they were being shot at, and all the bullets were bouncing between their heads on the wall. And it was just chewing the wall up.

We didn't know how many insurgents we were looking at, but there was quite a bit of firepower coming from up there. And I went running up the stairs. I kind of had my rifle over my head, just spraying and praying. I was scared.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

When it was over, insurgents had killed three of Workman's buddies, Corporal Raleigh Smith, Lance Corporal Eric Hillenburg, and Lance Corporal James Phillips.

SGT. JEREMIAH WORKMAN:

I can't describe the feeling. I mean, it was just like somebody flipped a switch. And I just wanted to kill these — you know, the bad guys, the guys that had done this to our Marines.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

So, he and others went back into the house to kill as many insurgents as possible. And he did, perhaps as many as 24, according to the Pentagon.

SGT. JEREMIAH WORKMAN:

My third time in the house, a third grenade came out. And it exploded this time. And I thought that was it for me. I thought, that's your war. You know, you're dying.

So, I sat against the wall. And it was like I was looking through a straw. And it just got smaller and smaller. And it just went black. And I thought that was it. I thought I had died.