Sergeant a role model

The nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, is awarded for battlefield bravery. Army Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter will get his at the White House, on Aug. 26.

I hope Carter’s honest and brave admission that some of his harrowing battlefield memories still haunt him and that he receives treatment and counseling for his post-traumatic stress disorder will inspire other veterans to seek help and assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

For some combat veterans that I know, the transition was more challenging than expected. They didn’t want their emotions to control their behavior anymore. They found that they were not alone in the process and, most importantly, that coming to the realization that they had a problem and needed help was a sign of strength, not weakness.

James Gordon Perkins

Colville