February 15, 2017
BLACK
HISTORY
MONTH
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Page 11
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Heartbreaking and Inspirational
Jocephus J. Duckworth
Illuminating the mental
health wounds of war
c hriSta m c i ntyre /t he p ortland o bServer
Portland resident, retired Staff Sgt. Jocephus J. Duck-
worth has published a book to help his fellow combat vet-
erans titled “The Soldier’s Story: The Invisible Wounds
from War.”
Duckworth spent 16 years in the Army and served fours
tours in Iraq. During his last tour in 2009, he began to sus-
pect he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD), a mental illness. He struggled with inner turmoil
and fought for three years to get treatment from the Army.
Before his first intake appointment with a military psy-
chologist, he wrote a 25 page statement describing the side
effects he was experiencing from active combat. Those 25
pages grew into his book and his new found dedication
to stop suicide deaths among his fellow war veterans. It’s
estimated that between 20 to 22 veterans take their own
lives each day,
American soldiers returning from World War II were
described as being “shell shocked,” a term that after the
Vietnam War became the root clinical diagnosis for what
is now known as PTSD. The mental anguish was tied to
the homelessness, chronic illnesses and addictions that a
good number of Vietnam vets were dealing with as they
tried to transition back to society. Serving in combat, be-
ing witness to the realities of warfare and losing friends
to fire takes a toll on a soldier’s mental health. Victims of
domestic abuse, natural disasters and terrorist attacks also
suffer from PTSD.
The number of soldiers returning home with PTSD has
consistently risen in the U.S., and more recent combat vet-
erans, with tours in the Middle East have the highest rate
of PTSD in history. Only 50 percent of those veterans,
by
however, seek help for PTSD and of those, only 20 per-
cent finish their therapy. Many veterans with PTSD turn
to street and prescription drugs or alcohol to self soothe
their symptoms.
Duckworth describes PTSD as living under constant
stress, with flashback episodes of traumatic events, and
realistic nightmares, all which can result in emotional out-
bursts and violence.
c ontinued on p age 18