Their stories are legion. The stress behind their stories, stress that combat veterans often hold tight inside, can be painful and destructive.
There was the Marine in Afghanistan who told me he has post-traumatic stress disorder so bad he can't stand to be safe at home, where he sometimes drops to the floor, thinking a loud noise is an incoming mortar. He keeps volunteering to return to combat, where his hair-trigger reflexes make sense. Where he's comfortable.
For veterans, telling their stories can be helpful. Having someone listen? Priceless.