EDITORIAL: Another tragic example of why PTSD research must be a priority
Although last month’s tragic death of 22-year-old Army Sgt. Clinton William Dickey happened miles from a battlefield, we must wonder if he was not another victim of a plague of modern warfare: post-traumatic stress disorder.
After serving three years in Afghanistan, Dickey returned to Central Texas to marry his Waco High School sweetheart and was pursuing a degree in microbiology at Texas A&M University when his life was cut short by an apparent misuse of prescription drugs.
Dickey suffered from back pain. He also had nightmares from being in the grips of war for so long, his family told the Trib’s Erin Quinn. His bride, Samantha Dickey, found him dead in their College Station home a month after their wedding.
His devotion to country was like so many in our military: selfless and sacrificing.
But too often, years of service leave our soldiers physically and emotionally ailing. As a nation, we must commit to a solution.
We’ll never know what Dickey experienced on the battlefield, but we must try to fill the lives of soldiers like Dickey with respect and honor. Through smiling gazes, we can show our gratitude for their service. And we must do everything possible to help them through mental anguish.
Much effort is being made to treat and help victims of PTSD, and we are proud that Waco is leading the way. A building is being renovated at the Waco Veterans Affairs Hospital for the Center of Excellence for Returning War Veterans, which will study PTSD.
With 20 percent of military personnel returning from war showing signs of PTSD or major depression, this facility is a lifesaver.
The Waco site is studying the brain functions of veterans of all ages, including those who leave the war zones and enter risky occupations, like emergency workers. Through mobile magnetic resonance imaging machines, scientists will study the brains of soldiers before deployment and after they return to understand possibly why some are more susceptible to PTSD.
It’s too late to help Sgt. Dickey. We hope and pray we can help others in time.
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