Long Road Home
Risk is an inherent part of military service as veterans often suffer life-altering injuries, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or never come home at all. Over the course of US history, hundreds of thousands of veterans have endured months or even years as prisoners of war. Veterans with previously unknown or untreated mental illnesses find that their conditions are greatly exacerbated by what they experienced. Shouldering these kinds of mental or physical trauma often makes the transition back to the civilian world extremely difficult. Despite the public and private resources meant to assist in the transitional process, some veterans are unable to access them due to various social, emotional, or financial factors. Some turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with trauma or otherwise feel alienated or isolated in a society that cannot fully understand their experience. While transition back to the civilian world ultimately looks different for each veteran, these stories offer a glimpse at the variety of challenges faced during and after their service on the long road home.
