The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been ongoing since 2001. Some veterans who have served and returned bear no visible wounds. Their injuries are emotional, and it is affecting more and more veterans.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is being diagnosed for several of the retuning veterans. Their symptoms can range from just an overt startle response to vivid flashbacks from combat. Some don’t even notice the symptoms till well after they return from combat and leave the service. One veteran in particular, Antonino Carubia didn’t notice his until three years after he returned from Afghanistan.
Carubia served in Afghanistan in 2002 with a Civil Affairs Group where he was a medic. He was never in a combat situation but he had to deal with an ongoing flow of sick and disabled kids that flowed through his clinic. The memories of those children plague him to this day.
Carubia did not start to notice his symptoms till 2006. He said "When I started to slow down to have a family, memories started to come back" These memories would cause him problems dealing with people, being out in the public. and a short temper when he’s approached by officials. He started going to counseling and he takes medication but it was not enough.
In order to deal with his PTSD Antonino adopted Gabe, a Stafford terrier mix to be his companion. Carubia He told us " anytime I am upset, even if he is in another room, and he hears me upest he will come"
Carubia has started taking Gabe to service dog training courses and so far Gabe has gotten his puppy qualification. Carubia wants to take him to follow on training when Gabe gets older.
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