06/03/2026
June is a month full of different awarenesses, and I’m sure you haven’t heard of most of them. One I would like to focus on this month, along with a few others, is PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder). The term first appeared in 1980, however, earlier medical publications referred to conditions described as “soldier’s heart,” “shell shock,” and “war neurosis.” On June 27, 2010, PTSD Awareness Day was established in recognition of Staff Sergeant, Joe Biel, a National Guard service member who experienced PTSD after two tours in Iraq and died by su***de in 2007. In 2014, the federal government designated the entire month of June as PTSD Awareness Month. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 6 percent of the population will have PTSD at some point in their lives and about 12 million adults in the US have PTSD during a given year. Approximately 11-20 out of every 100 veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom have PTSD and in any given year, about 12 out of every 100 Gulf War veterans have had PTSD. It is estimated that about 30 out of every 100 Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.
