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Jeff Lucey deployed to Iraq with the Marines in 2003. He returned home later that year, and initially, all seemed well. But it slowly became apparent that Lucey was struggling with invisible wounds.
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Jon Meadows received multiple injuries during his deployments, including a traumatic brain injury. Now, with the help of his wife, Melissa, he's focusing on recovery.
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While serving in Iraq, MaCherie Dunbar didn't know quite what she was signing up for when she volunteered for "patriot detail." It turned out to be one of the hardest things she did while overseas.
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Fighting in Afghanistan was extremely difficult, but now that Army Capt. Drew Pham is back in the U.S., he says he doesn't even know how to talk to people. It's his wife, he says, who keeps him going.
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Anthony Villarreal and his wife, Jessica, had to rebuild their lives after an explosion almost killed Anthony in Afghanistan. "I didn't even recognize myself," Anthony says, though his new wife was determined to be there for him throughout the painful process.
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Doctors said Erik Schei would be a "vegetable" for the rest of his life — and he was only 21. He had been shot in the head on his second tour in Iraq. But his parents choose to bring him home and give him another chance at life. Now, they say he's smiling every day and grateful to be alive.
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Employees at the Veterans Crisis Line work to stop suicides by helping veterans in crisis. A mother of two service members struggles through calls with young veterans, while another responder knows first-hand what it feels like to have a flashback.
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Both Paul Wayman and Nathanael Roberti found it difficult to return to civilian life after serving in combat. They ended up in front of a special veterans court and were given a choice: Go to prison, or enroll in a program that helps veterans readjust to civilian life.
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The Velez brothers both died while on deployment for the Army in their early 20s, two years apart from one another. Their sister, Monica, had been like a mother to them, and their deaths left her feeling helpless.
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In our latest installment of the StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative, we hear from Lance Cpl. Travis Williams. In 2005, while serving in Iraq, Williams lost his 12-man squad lost his squad to an IED. He was the only survivor.