IRAQ WAR, PTSD & LIFE AFTER COMBAT- Donna Zephrine, Ex- Military Mechanic

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For this episode I spoke to Donna Zephrine, a former military mechanic who completed two tours of Iraq.
She told me about her road to the army, her tours of combat in the Middle East, dealing with the mental strain of combat and living on a military base, having a learning disability, PTSD among soldiers/veterans and much more.

00:00 Intro, basic training 
07:15 Becoming a light-weight vehicle mechanic, 9/11
14:30 Initial invasion of Iraq (2003), first impressions, daily life 
29:00 Shoot-outs and death of squad leader
36:00 Life on base, contacting home, drug use/‘self medicating” among soldiers 
48:35 Did soldiers feel that their work in Iraq was worthwhile/meaningful 
53:00 PTSD and traumatic incidents, being a woman in the military and having a learning disability 
1:07:40 Dealing w/ PTSD post-military 
1:11:35 Donna’s current work
1:17:00 Reintegrating into society after years in military