http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_110_Difficult_Return.mp3 When Colonel Kevin Gerdes returned from Iraq in January 2006, he thought the hard part was over. But his marriage was in trouble and he didn't even know it. Dick talks to Kevin and his wife, Mickey. Plone 2.0 http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_110_Difficult_Return.mp3/logo.jpg http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_110_Difficult_Return.mp3 <h4>DIFFICULT RETURN</h4><p>In the National Guard, soldiers receive six months of training for combat, but comparatively little training to prepare them for returning home.</p><p>Among National Guard members returning, up to 30% have mental health issues.</p><p class="imageleft"><img class="image-left" src="resolveuid/b8943a894a6f4f27967ea3ad29b37534" alt="Colonel Kevin Gerdes and his wife, Micki" height="100" width="100" />Kevin and Mickey Gerdes</p><p>Colonel Kevin Gerdes thought he was exempt from such problems as a leader--a commanding officer. He turned his attentions instead to helping the soldiers under him reintegrate with their lives stateside.</p><p>But when he returned from Iraq in January to his family and job at the Minnesota National Guard, he found he was not exempt. He talks to Dick Gordon about his personal struggles to switch from being a soldier to being a husband, father and regular citizen.</p><p>Kevin is joined by his wife, Mickey, who offers her reflections on how Iraq altered the dynamic of their relationship. Until recently, she had kept her growing unease with Kevin's quick temper a secret from Kevin, the family, and everybody she knew connected with the National Guard. Her rationale was that everyone looked up to him as a leader.</p><p class="imageleft"><img class="image-left" src="resolveuid/387193dee6c66d14cfdc335398bc71ca" alt="Colonel Kevin Gerdes and family" height="100" width="100" />The Gerdes Family</p><p>Kevin and Mickey Gerdes now share their story of reintegration through the Minnesota National Guard's "Beyond The Yellow Ribbon" program. Their goal is to open, and keep open, the lines of communication between soldiers, their families and their communities.</p><ul><li>Read more about <a href="http://www.dma.state.mn.us/press_room/e-zine/articles/index.php?item=127" target="_self">military life after combat<br /></a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="http://www.pdhealth.mil/wot/fact_sheet2.asp" target="_self">PTSD</a></li><li>Find out where to get <a href="http://www.starpoint.net/~etracsvc/151fa/FACFAQ.htm" target="_self">help for members of the military and their families</a></li><li>Read more about <a href="http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/returning_troops/assets/PTSDTrifold.pdf" target="_self">deployment-related stress</a> </li></ul><a title="Add To This Story" class="addbtn" href="resolveuid/cc2a8297b6c0d5c86538f03c46448d35" target="_self">Add to story</a><h4></h4><h4>AHMED'S DIARY</h4><p>Ahmed has filed a new diary from Baghdad. </p><blockquote><p>"News travels fast in Baghdad, especially about the killings. They are thinking up new ways to kill people than even the most evil mind can imagine. I am going to tell you the latest story that I heard. You might now want to listen to it. It is our lives, not yours.”</p><p>--Ahmed Abdullah, Baghdad</p></blockquote><p><a title="Add To This Story" class="addbtn" href="resolveuid/cc2a8297b6c0d5c86538f03c46448d35" target="_self">Add to story</a></p> Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:00:00