COMBAT STRESS - The Enemy Within

CombatStress is a charity dedicated to helping veterans overcome PTSD. The video below movingly shows the effects PTSD can have on someone. Please take a moment to watch it. Please also visit the CombatStress website for more information about the charity.

British Army Lance Sergeant Dan Collins

Dan Collins, a British soldier who survived a tour of Afghanistan which killed his two best friends, committed suicide by hanging himself in a quarry near his home in Cardigan, Wales, on 1st January 2012. His girlfriend, Vicky Roach said that he had never come to terms with the guilt of out-living his friends. She told news reporters: "The only comfort I've got now is that Dan is at peace with two of his best friends that died out in Afghanistan."

Lance Sergeant Collins, aged 29, had cheated death fighting the Taliban when his own his life was saved by his body armour. But the Welsh Guardsman could not come to terms with returning home safely without his friends Dane Elson, 22, and Tobie Fasfous, 29.

He was shot in the back by a sniper in May 2009 but survived because of his body armour which took the bullet. He was also caught up in two roadside bombings. He served with the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

Read the full story here at The Telegraph

NOTE: we have included Lance Sergeant Collins on this website because he had served in Afghanistan and also because he is one of many unreported victims of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Canadian Army Trooper Stefan Jankowski

Canadian Army Trooper Stefan Jankowski, age 25, died in Canada from a prescription drug overdose on Saturday 9th July 2011. He had been suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since returning from combat duties in Afghanistan.

Dodging bullets, seeing a boy with his face blown off and holding a dead friend in his arms was more than Trooper Jankowski could bear. He suffered anxiety, depression and insomnia as well as the horrors of war.

He served with the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

Note: Trooper Jankowski is one of thousands of troops from all nations who suffered from PTSD after serving in Afghanistan. We have included him on this website as a tribute to his service in Afghanistan.