Personal Note From Megan

Hi!  Thank you for visiting our website!  One of my older brothers is an OIF veteran.  He worked in Iraq for two years fighting for our freedom.  While my brother was in Iraq, I spent countless hours on instant messanger on the Internet either waiting for him to sign on or talking to him while he had some down time.  My brother sheltered me from most that he was involved in and often made me believe that things for him were easy and he never had to deal with any tough situations. There were only a few select times that he shared on a deeper level what he was going through and how he was feeling.  Just from the few instances that my brother opened up to me, I knew that he was covering up a lot when he would talk to me online.  When he came home from Iraq and stayed with my parents where I was living at the time, I spent a lot of time with him.  In fact, he spent a lot of time with all my sibliings (there are 6 of us altogether!).  During his times of leave during these two years, I noticed things about him changing.  Behaviors that seemed like red flags and would put a sense of alertness in me.  However, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable and because of my fear of reading things in to his behavior I never mentioned anything to him.  I just told myself that it was because he had been at war and that everything was fine.  I never even talked about what I was noticing to any of my family members because I just figured I was being paranoid or that I was noticing things that weren't really there.  Had I known what I know now, I would have taken very different steps and spoken up about what I was seeing.

We didn't know it at the time, but my brother was suffering from Combat PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) from being at war.  He was exhibiting classic symptoms from always carrying around his body armor when he was home on leave to hyper-alertness to an intense desire to return to the war zone.  Because of my brother's Combat PTSD, he is now serving a prison sentence of 22-36 years.  My brother's Combat PTSD has not only affected his life in an enormous way, but my family has walked through the pain and the strife and is still walking through it.  My mom is currently working feverishly to get my brother the help he needs as the Nebraska prison system has nothing in place to help veterens who suffer from Combat PTSD.

This is where the idea for The Hidden Front came from.  As I spent many hours studying professional material and talking to many of my brother's friends who served with him in Iraq and also suffer from varying degrees of Combat PTSD, I found that that's exactly what it is -- a hidden front.  It's a continuation of the war that goes on inside the heart and mind of a soldier who has been to war and it is hidden deep inside for fear of the stigma attached to it.  My heart's desire is that no family ever be in the position my family and my brother were in.  We all knew something was not right, something was going on.  However, we had never heard of Combat PTSD.  Had we known something about it, we would have been in a much better position to become prepared and informed ourselves so that we could have helped my brother before something happened. 

I believe that our soldiers deserve the utmost respect, love, and support.  They are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for millions they have never met to provide them with the freedom they so deeply believe in.  As The Hidden Front, we hope to be a part of the support and love they receive.  My family has been there.  We have walked through the fire with my brother.  I have personally seen the pain and anguish he has suffered through.  He has my love and support 100% and will never loose it. 

I hope that from this website you can find a tool or a resource that will provide you with what you need to help a soldier you know and love.  I also hope that you will find something that will give you encouragement and knowledge that can better help you understand where your soldier is coming from.  I wish that I had known about combat PTSD when my brother was in Iraq.  It is my hope that one day all families who have loved ones fighting in the war will be well informed on Combat PTSD and how they can offer help, love, and understanding to their soldier.  The Hidden Front is a step that I can take in that direction!

Please feel free to email at the link on the website.  I would love to talk to anyone who is interested in knowing more about my family's story, more about Combat PTSD, or who just needs someone to talk to.  Thank you for visiting this site.  I hope that it has blessed you and provided you with the tools and resources you need!!