Losing a friend to suicide, while in the military, is something that still haunts me day in and day out. Losing a life alone is very frustrating and depressing, but losing a life while at war, is worse. Why? Because being in a hostile environment adds danger to any situation, let alone dealing with suicide due to being in a war. I have also have seen a soldier in our unit get blown up into pieces. The traumatic experience’sexperiences witnessed while at war are life-altering events that can cause mental health issues and health issues as well. PTSD is very real,. I know that some people may believe that dealing with PTSD is a weakness,. I look at it as more of a sign of strength. Why? Because not everyone can handle the aspect of beinghaving been at war atand not bebeing able to tell their story for having fear of retaliation or fear of being made fun of. I consider myself to be mentally tough, even though there are days wherewhen the thought alone of just having to remember or deal with those issues alone can cause my mood to be sporadic. I have lost many friendships, and even my family have turned their backs on me because I have tried to open up to them about my situation, and all I get is, you"You are crazy," you"You are making stories up," or you"You need help because you don’t make any sense." The stigma of living with PTSD is something that many service members fear because of the potential for rejection. I am still a work in progress, and I have come a long way from where I was to where I want to be.