Alpha Company
Alpha Company, a National Guard unit based in Northeast Philadelphia, drew its roster from across the region. Six members were killed during the nearly 11 months that Alpha spent in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. The 131 survivors are police officers and college students, construction workers and drug store clerks. More than two years after coming home, many are still struggling to get their lives back in order and to sort out the meaning of their sacrifice. Nearly half have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet many say they‘d go back to Iraq if asked. They‘d do it for their buddies.
Here are their personal accounts.
DAY 1
The flat roofs across the street were checkered with black shadows. In the dim yellow light of a city sky at night, Sgt. Lorenzo Martinez thought he saw a man move.
DAY 2
At Fort Dix, where they arrived 11 weeks after the attacks that killed six of their men, Alpha Company veterans were warned that their homecomings with wives and girlfriends might not be easy.
DAY 3
ONLINE EXTRAS
Ask Dr. Steve Silver
Dr. Steve Silver, who has worked with trauma survivors and their families since 1972, will answer questions beginning March 10.
Join a discussion
Veterans talk about their experiences in Iraq, soldiers and their families talk about coping after their return and veterans offer advice on what helped them cope with PTSD.
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