Max Baucus: “an Iraq veteran named Travis Williams told his story at a field hearing in Great Falls, Montana last summer. After…”

“an Iraq veteran named Travis Williams told his story at a field hearing in Great Falls, Montana last summer. After graduating from Capitol High School in Helena in 2002, Travis quickly joined the Marine Corps. Travis was deployed to Iraq in 2005. He served in Al Anbar province. Like thousands of other American men and women in uniform, Travis served nobly and with honor under the most difficult of circumstances. He experienced the horrors of combat. He lost numerous friends. And he saw unspeakable violence. Travis testified that after months of combat, his emotions seemed to dull or shutdown. As he later learned, he was experiencing a normal reaction to a highly abnormal situation. His reaction was a defense mechanism that allowed him to continue to operate in a combat zone. His mind was finding a way to keep going. Thousands of marines, soldiers, airmen and seamen have experienced this phenomenon. Travis testified that when he arrived home it seemed 'surreal.' He felt more out of place in his own home than he did in Iraq. Travis isolated himself from his friends. He was frequently drunk and angry. Looking back, he understands that he was on what he called the 'path to destruction.' One day, Travis received a phone call from Deb McBee. Deb is a veteran's service officer from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Deb had heard about Travis' experiences in combat. She recommended that he visit the VA clinic to seek help. Travis took her advice.”