APART FROM WAR
"War ends, but consequences endure"
In the summer of 2010, 10 journalists went up into the hills and mountains of Ferry and Okanogan counties of Washington. They went there because in those remote areas lives a community of war veterans - veterans from every major conflict since World War II - living off the grid.
These counties are also a source for today's soldiers; high school students who see the military as a career choice and a way out.
The journalists, students from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a "visiting fellow" from the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, were asking one question;
"What are the consequences of war, as experienced by a tight-knit and classic small-town, all-American community.
KING5 News is proud to spotlight this series of powerful reports and video illustrations in which the journalists share the stories of the people they met in the areas around Republic, Chesaw and Tonasket.
This Is Our Freedom - Why are they there, off the grid?. The reasons why are sometimes obvious, sometimes touching and sometimes discouraging to hear. (photo gallery)
All That Lingers - Vietnam veteran Jerry Middleton returned from war disillusioned and discouraged with life in suburbia. 40 years later, he's found peace and meaning in his connection with the earth.
18 And Enlisted - In the small towns of Oroville and Republic, Wash., 18-year-olds Adam Howerton and Ryn Rollins are about to take on a major life change. Both young men are about to enter the United States Army.
Children Left Behind - Not every soldier leaves children or spouses at home. But all of them have mothers. And moms with adult children in the armed forces deeply feel the fear of burying a child.
One of the Guys - Shannon Williams joined the U.S. Army so it would be a passport out of her small town. The Army exposed her to the world, including two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. But now Williams’ way out of Omak, Wash., has led her right back, lured by a desire to be closer to family. And her “escape” has left her dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, arthritis in her knees, frequent migraines and a failed military marriage.
A Personal War, At Home - Jared Starkel returned from Iraq four years ago, but the memories of his service there have yet to leave him. Recurring dreams and overwhelming, painful emotions oftentimes make daily interactions a complicated, internal struggle for Jared.
PTSD Experience - The trauma part comes in when a person returns home, but their mind is still in the warzone, trying to protect them from perceived threats -- at the mall, while grocery shopping or driving down the road.
When He Came Home - It's a common refrain in this small town; Chad Olson came home different. He left Republic, Wash. For Iraq as the smiling kid with dozens of friends. He returned, but was never truly the same.
More Than A Warrior - . Jared Starkel is now a father and his number one priority is his family. But Jared’s time in the military has left him a changed man. He’s come to realize that he needs professional help so that he can be there for his wife and four kids.
A Gift Given - Vietnam-era veteran Ed Bush is motivated by his faith to help other indigent veterans living in the remote mountains of rural Washington state, even as he and his wife struggle with money problems and the symptoms of his own PTSD.
Getting Disability Compensation
