Post traumatic stress disorder has been called different things over the years.

Maj. General Bob Dees – retired U.S. Army, says, “In earlier wars it was called shellshock, it was called battle fatigue… it’s really a normal reaction to very abnormal circumstances.”

As the global war on terror sends more troops on longer and more frequent deployments, PTSD is having a devastating impact on the military family.

Maj. General Dees, “When the soldier is off at war, the family endures the uncertainty of death, all the risk, all the separation, all the heartache. But then when he comes back it perhaps is even worse… the divorce rates in these families and these sufferers are almost twice the national average.”

Mark and Marshelle came perilously close to being one of those statistics. As a commander of the elite US Navy Seals, and a veteran of many covert operations, Mark thought he was in control – until he deployed to Iraq.

Marshelle Waddell says, “The man that deployed was not the man that came back, and he had deployed many times and had come back intact, body, mind and soul, but this time he did not, he came home with a broken leg, but that was the least our of worries, he came home with a soul that limped.”

Like many returning officers, Mark had military duties even at home. And those distracted him from addressing his problems.

Cmdr. Mark Waddell – retired, U.S. Navy Seals says, “Your responsibility is to man, train, equip, deploy and sustain the force so we can sustain this global war on terror… so all those problems, all those issues seemed to take greater priority than me or my family’s issues.”

But the strain on his family was growing unbearable. Mark and Marshelle will share more on that in the next segment of this special series, on surviving post traumatic stress.