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8A Daily News – Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Veterans bring the war home CHICAGO (MCT) — It was just after midnight when former Marine Cpl. James Dahan was awak- ened by a faint noise in the distance. Except for the glare of his flashlight, there was darkness all around as he crept from room to room, searching for an unknown enemy. Windows sealed: check. Doors locked: check. Build- ing secure: check. Yet with people pacing about upstairs, voices he did not recognize billowing through the walls and the incessant roar of traffic out- side, he dared not fall asleep. So he stayed up all night repeating the routine over and over again. Dahan returned from Iraq seven years ago. But the horrors of war followed him home. On that night last month, there had been a power out- age at his apartment in Lisle, Ill., unleashing mem- ories of the war zone. He stood guard over his sleep- ing son, while the noises of his neighbors moving about kept Dahan on edge. The enemy existed only in his mind. The last convoy of U.S. troops left Iraq last Sunday, but for thousands of veter- ans who suffer from post- traumatic stress disorder, the haunting memories might never go away. Since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars began a decade ago, the U.S. Veterans Adminis- tration has treated more than 212,000 combat veter- ans for PTSD, an anxiety disorder resulting from trau- matic events during war. More than 2,200 Iraq-era cases of PTSD are being treated in Illinois, in addi- tion to more than 400 cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a medical condition caused by head trauma. The costs are high. According to a report by Harvard University profes- sor Linda Bilmes, who has spent years tracking money spent in the war on terror, the long-term costs of car- ing for the nation's wounded veterans could cost $201 billion to $348 billion over the next 40 years, plus $355 billion to $534 billion in dis- ability payments. Though the number of Iraq-era veterans treated for PTSD is only a fraction of those from the Vietnam era, their experiences are differ- ent, veteran advocates said, because troops constantly risked attack. "The multiple deploy- ments and the type of attacks from the enemy are not the traditional types seen in the past with clearly defined battlefields," said Steve Nardizzi, executive director of the Wounded Warrior Project, a group formed to support service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. "There is no entering the battlefield and retreating to a safe environment. At any given time and any given moment, the street you are driving down might have an IED (improvised explosive devise), or someone shoot- ing at you or someone walk- ing up with a hand-held grenade." Experts said getting vet- erans into counseling is dif- ficult because admitting a mental disorder is often viewed as a weakness, espe- cially for troops who are taught to be fearless. 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Kimball Rd, by the city yard. No ornaments, stands, tinsel or flocked trees will be collected. For more information please contact our Customer Service Department at 530-528-8500 or 800-443-6924. In previous wars, many troops would have died from their injuries, but stronger body armor, advances in medical ser- vices on the battlefield and improved armored vehicles have saved lives. In some cases, however, outreach services are lack- ing, causing many veterans in need of mental health ser- vices to fall through the cracks, according to Nardizzi. Large cities such as Chicago offer a range of services in a timely manner, but that is not the case in rural areas. MCT photo James Dahan, of Lisle, center, stands with his son, Kalel, 4, after going through an eye exam at the Edward Hines, Jr.VA Hospital in Hines, Ill., Dec. 14. Dahan, a Marine, was exposed to more than 30 improvised explosive devices while in Iraq and suffers from mild traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. story. "There seems to be a consistent recurring pattern where guys will come home from deployment and they're still in a war zone, they are on a constant state of readiness and hyper-alert, and it's hard to come down from that," said Capt. Scott Andrews, an Illinois National Guard chaplain who counsels troops. "But you can always look in their eyes and see when they're not sleeping." Some veterans have thrived despite their physi- cal and mental injuries, finding new ways to chan- nel their energy by climbing mountains, public speaking or mentoring other wound- ed troops. But the majority of those with PTSD or brain injuries suffer silently. They enroll in college, Crafter's Boutique 30 Crafters in 1 Shop! Plenty of parking on Pine Street Closed Sunday & Monday Come & Shop To sell your crafts. CALL NOW! 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Fairgrounds 529-8026 528-4207 529-8026 529-8026 529-8026 6:00pm-7:30 pm 2/8 Wednesday RB Community Center 529-8038 ed within 30 feet of his vehi- cle. Now 29, he lives with debilitating headaches, flashbacks, nightmares and a constantly hovering fear that danger lurks around every corner. When Dahan is sleeping his wife, Erin, 31, and their three children know better than to run in and awaken him by jumping on the bed. Startling noises can set him off and leave him stressed for days. So the family knocks gently on the bed- room door or calls him on his cell phone. He now attends Benedic- tine University in Lisle and works with other veterans through the Wounded War- rior Project. "You don't go into a war like this and come out unscathed," said Dahan, whose injuries damaged his eyesight and left him with a limp. "We're not going into shopping malls and blowing people away, but we are portrayed that way." Sgt. Robert James, 39, of Matteson, was misdiag- nosed twice before doctors realized that the dizziness, headaches and memory loss were not vertigo but TBI. As a medic with the Illinois National Guard, James was under constant attack during two his deployments to Iraq. He never addressed his own injuries until one day his head was spinning so badly he couldn't get up. His injuries have taken a toll on his wife and three children. They don't go to large family gatherings, restaurants or parks because crowds make James uncomfortable. If the chil- dren want something, they know to go to their mother, Rachel, 39, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve who is attending nursing school so she can better care for her husband. Most people, James said, feel uncomfortable around veterans like him. "A lot of civilians don't understand what people like me are going through," said James, who has a ser- vice dog to relieve stress. "The biggest obstacle is seeing friends shy away from me, people I used to hang out with and talk to, because either they are afraid or they don't want to associate with this 'crazy person.' "