Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is common among war veterans, though it was never formally diagnosed as such until fairly recently. Now, any veteran returning from action in Iraq or Afghanistan is very likely to suffer from PTSD to one degree or another. Captain Peter Linnerooth was a U.S. Army psychologist who specialized in soothing the frazzled nerves and raw emotions that soldiers must deal with regularly as they witness horrors that civilians can’t even fathom.
He met regularly with soldiers during the worst stretches of the Iraq war, sometimes spending as many as 60 – 70 hours each week working through issues and calming soldiers who put their lives on the line almost every moment of the day. Linnerooth left Iraq a few months prior to the official end of his 15-month tour, simply unable to deal with it anymore.
When he came home, he became a college professor in Minnesota, then continued to counsel veterans in California and Nevada. He became obsessed with veteran’s issues, and worried about depression, PTSD and suicide among vets. In the end, with his life having fallen apart due to troubles he could not conquer, he tried to bring order back to his life. He failed to do so, and at the age of 42, he took his own life.
Linnerooth’s best friend, Brock McNabb, served with him, and the pair compared their situation to that of Ernest Shackleton, whose ship became entrapped in the Antarctic ice during an expedition in the early 1900s. McNabb said of their role in helping soldiers, "There’s no cavalry to save the day. You ARE the cavalry. There was no relief." McNabb added, "People are in rough, rough shape ... it's misery all the time, and it does affect you." Unfortunately for all who knew and loved him, Peter Linnerooth could not overcome how much it affected him, and the nation is worse off for it.
He met regularly with soldiers during the worst stretches of the Iraq war, sometimes spending as many as 60 – 70 hours each week working through issues and calming soldiers who put their lives on the line almost every moment of the day. Linnerooth left Iraq a few months prior to the official end of his 15-month tour, simply unable to deal with it anymore.
When he came home, he became a college professor in Minnesota, then continued to counsel veterans in California and Nevada. He became obsessed with veteran’s issues, and worried about depression, PTSD and suicide among vets. In the end, with his life having fallen apart due to troubles he could not conquer, he tried to bring order back to his life. He failed to do so, and at the age of 42, he took his own life.
Linnerooth’s best friend, Brock McNabb, served with him, and the pair compared their situation to that of Ernest Shackleton, whose ship became entrapped in the Antarctic ice during an expedition in the early 1900s. McNabb said of their role in helping soldiers, "There’s no cavalry to save the day. You ARE the cavalry. There was no relief." McNabb added, "People are in rough, rough shape ... it's misery all the time, and it does affect you." Unfortunately for all who knew and loved him, Peter Linnerooth could not overcome how much it affected him, and the nation is worse off for it.
