it's a shame that we have one of the best militaries on earth, but time and time again, we fail to help our vets

My brother was 23, he came home after second tour and loosing our brother in a car accident a few months later he lost it, accidentally over dosed. Left me, now I am without both brothers and my mom who recently alao very unexpectedlt passed. Not even 30, alone, motherless, brotherless, and broken.

You can see it in his face, and hear it in his voice that he's physically there? But mentally still in Afghanistan

My boyfriend is in the corps and he struggles with PTSD.. Wakes up in the middle of the night dripping in sweat due to having such terrible dreams. My heart breaks for all military who have to deal with this... God bless you.

It's not weak to ask for help. It's a sign of strength

I feel for this soldier. He is not cured even in this video. He is showing all symptoms of PTSD.

This man needs to cry. Needs to let it all out, you can tell he doesn’t shed tears.

PTSD sucks ass, it makes you sad no matter where you go. It's not necessarily like depression because depression a lot of times you can't pinpoint why you have it. With PTSD however it lets you know every single day like every 5 seconds you have a thought about it/ a flashback of it and it won't go away no matter how hard you try your brain makes you think of it.

This reminds me of my uncle, waking up in the middle of the night hearing him screaming his friends name. He served in Vietnam, and my aunt told me the only thing he had ever said about war was he watched his best friend die in his arms. His voice is all raspy from something the Americans dropped in the jungle and his unit was sent in before it settled. So it messed up his vocal cords. His names Roy Botsford.

I can see his unhappiness and anxiety.. I have it as well, hang in there, it's very hard, pray

Respect to you blanco. Thank you.

A former Marine with PTSD just killed 12 people last night in California. The symptoms were obvious. I can agree that our system has failed to protect our vets. It’ll be swept under the rug and the blame will be on guns. Keep going strong Sgt. Blanco. Peace.

Thank you SGT Blanco.

hey carnal, everything you said... man i feel you. i would drink till i fell asleep. but bro we have to live on for the men we lost there. hey bro from one warrior to another, talk to someone about it. It's helped me

The sleep disorders wear you down over years. The short term memory loss makes you feel worthless.Unable to focus an simple tasks. Panic attacks if you get in tight crowds of many people. It’s hell.

I love you brother. #StayStrongBlanco

if highly trained soldiers act like this after a few years in a war zone, imagine how the residents must feel since they have felt it their whole life

Wow! I can't believe I have not seen this until now. Blanco if you see this comment, this is Herzik! Good for you bro for doing this. Proud of you man. I know it's tough to talk about, especially in a video everyone will see. You're story is going to help a lot of people man. I hope you are doing well.

Watching this video made me realize that I have PTSD. I feel ashamed to admit that I was embarrassed to talk about it. I know that I need help and will get the help that I need. Thank you Sgt. Blanco for sharing your story brother.

He's very strong.

My boyfriend has it and it Breaks my heart for him. He though having help and medication. I know and seeing that he's trying his best to have a normal life after the war he's in. And I'm just here to support him and love him. God bless all the army and Marines who fight for their country.

You can see him starting to have an episode as he shakes with tremors. I really noticed it when he mentioned his wife was going to leave him, really fucked up. A friend of mine has PTSD and I've seen him get like this. Glad he sought help, it's the only way. Once you find other people as broken as you in a therapeutic/rehabilitating environment you realize you're not so alone. I felt similar and alone to how he felt with my heroin addiction but once I went to rehab I've made some of the best and closest friends that I've told more things to that I've never said to anyone. I have met some of the best people there. I see it similar to my addiction, you have to seek help and be with other people recovering from the same shit. There's a quote that says something like "unless you've also been in the ring fighting the bull, I don't want to hear what you have to say". Meaning if you haven't gone through what I have you don't have a clue. People associate asking for help as a sign of weakness, I now believe it is a sign of strength, to not be controlled by your ego and to be able to admit "I don't got this, I need help". Or even just being able to surrender to a purly unbeatable force. Anyway those are my thoughts

Poor guy. Man I hope he's doing ok now.

@SGT Blanco - You may not remember me but I served with you in 1/36 IN 1st AD before your deployment to Afghanistan. You remembered me from our time at Ft. Cambell when I first got to the unit. I didn't deploy with you guys on that deployment because I had reenlisted to go to Ft. Benning, and PCSd a month or so after you guys left. 10 years later I am scrolling through youtube and I see your face. I hope you are well brother and I hope that you know there are many that are going through the same thing. I ended up being Medically retired after 11 years for PTSD and received 100% from the VA. After many, many years of therapy and counseling, I still have issues stemming from my tours in Baghdad. Everyday is a struggle, but know that there is hope and it does get better. Stay strong brother. SSG (R) Patrick McIlhenny

The fact that his wife said, do it or I'll leave.... Instead of saying, let's do this together and show support

I have no right to say this, I never served. But I will anyway. I wish you all the best. You may have helped twenty, 50, a 100 other soldiers. By being brave enough to talk about this on camera. What if you helped one and their entire family or prevented a suicide, with all my respect, Tom.

Blanco.... you're a HERO! People you don't even know care about you. :-)

Thank you for opening up. Brings your heart on ease and also awareness on other people.

Bless you, Sgt. Blanco. It takes a lot of courage to open up and talk about PTSD so you can help your fellow vets. You are a beautiful human being and I hope you will find peace and balance in your life after suffering such trauma.

This ONE single video just helped me through almost a lifetime of shit. So powerful. Thank you for sharing this brother! God bless!

Big respect. Thank you sharing Blanco from Sam in the UK. Keep your chin up. And wish and pray that you and your family are having a happy life brother.

Thank you for being brave and sharing your story, asking for help, and for your service!!

I really hope he has found some peace of mind. I feel this pain in my soul

I am currently in school studying Clinical Mental Health. Watching videos like these mamke me more motivated to do good in school, train hard, and eventually be part of someone's healing and recovery from issues like this one. My heart goes out to you, Sir!

Thank you for sharing your struggle. I wish there was more we could do as families and as support for our veterans.

Thank you for having the courage to share. Your testimony, which I’ve watched about a hundred or more times, has pulled me back from the brink.

I'm praying for you SGT. Blanco, stay strong. We're Army family, always got your back

I love you SGT Blanco. You're a strong man, mentally and physically. Real pain is rarely physical.

Thank u for putting this out... I’m now in the same boat and have been afforded another chance at life...came on KZfaq to see if there was something/someone who feels like me ... stay strong my Brother

Thank you for letting us know. We love you

I know this is from 9 years ago but it is still heart-wrenching seeing our Veterans deal with these emotion’s!!…. You can tell this Soldier is fighting very hard not to just break down right on camera!!…. 😔 God bless all of our Combat Vet’s! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Brother, you aren't alone out there. None of us walked away without some demons dragging behind us. I am glad you got help. Pass the word...

I really hope you get the help that you need. You’re very brave for talking about your struggle with PTSD and Depression. God Bless you!

Thank you for your services. We salute you.

Poor guy, I hope he makes it through this. I'd be his friend.

Bless your heart soldier.

My heart goes out to this young man. He needs help dealing w these new difficulties.

It takes such courage to do what this Soldier did.. to talk about it is a breakthrough. Salute him and sooo many silent others.

Blanco, what you did and saw in combat zone has affected you in a 'normal ' way. You are a good guy and a good soldier. War, from a front row seat, damages most people emotionally, physically and/or spiritually. You were on it enough to get the insight to now do what was needed. It's not any different from getting help for a broken leg bro. Your family needs you at the best you can be, both now and in the future. I believe, salute and love you!

I hope this young man is still managing his depression and other issues related to life and his military service. I hope he now has a healthy relationship with his family and friends.

Hope he’s doing better. Thank you for your service.

Thank you for everything you have done Mr. Blanco..

No weakness SGT, appreciate what you've shared, mad respect to you and hope to aspire to more aspirations of good and motivation!

“Some guys.. like the good guys.. like most of the good friends .. They didn’t make it home so..”. Realest shit I heard in a while

It is so brave of you to get in front of the camera and tell your truth. Now bc u are getting help you can further your healing by spending time with others who are also experiencing close to, if not the exact same difficulties, in their lives as well bc it takes one to know one. You never know the profound, positive impact you may have with other vets and to be able to reach them on a personal level like this may be just what gets them through another day!! I thank you for your service - God bless you and your family bc they (ur family) have suffered too 👏👏

Our hearts go out to this man. Very courageous of him to share his story; takes a big man to admit vulnerability and brokenness like that. Mr. Blanco (apologies, not sure what your rank is), we certainly hope that you're on a brighter path, one that doesn't require you to medicate your issues away.

I've never been in the army, but I still really related to this man's story. It's nearly impossible to find the words to describe what is going on in your head, but this guy pretty much nailed it on the head. Much respect, sir.

We need to thank all the veterans for their service and send out our positivity and help to those who suffer with ptsd!

We are with you Blanco. You are showing such amazing strength by spreading the truth.

Thankyou Sgt.Blanco ,this grunt needed to hear that bro

My best friends boyfriend was in the military and she says he's dealing with PTSD so much that he has depression. She said that he's not the same person before he joined the military. It's crazy to see what being in a war situation does to you mentally, physically, and emotionally.

I have never been in the military, but I could feel his pain

Thankyou for sharing your story. Very pleased you still alive.prays goes to you from new Zealand

I'm glad you got help. Thank you for your service.

I feel you brother ... it fu**ked me up too. ...coming home is hard, `cause no one understands you. ....God bless you.

Our military goes through more than any person will ever know. The things they see and do. Going to places you’ve never even heard of and you don’t even know who you’re fighting against anymore. I’m sure it fucks with you a lot. These guys sacrifice family time and peace of mind for what? A country that won’t even take care of them. Truly is sad. I hope this man can find at least a little bit of peace.

Stay blessed bro..very courageous of you to share this. You are strong beyomd measure.

you went through hell and back. the military really does puts you through a lot. a lot of soldiers get depression, and really bad ptsd but it takes A LOT for someone to admit that they need help. im really glad you got help! you’re strong and thank you am for your service !

I'm with you Brother. We have your 6.

I feel bad for people who have PTSD I once experience it even though I wasn't in war I got scared of dying scared of all my friends,family, and me dying I just feel so sorry for Blanco Thank you

God bless you. I hope you are doing well. Thank you for your sacrifices and service

This Warrior IS Vibrating and I appreciate his Honesty...MilitantCrip

My only Son is a wounded Combat veteran, his body came back alive and I was so happy, but he was lost to me. I haven’t seen him in two years. I went to visit him, loved him, tried to help him, he was so abusive and said the most hurtful things. It feels like a lost my Son in that war. I love him so much, he refuses to get any help with counselors. And now he won’t speak to me. 💔

I'm proud of him. My brother had to go through that as well, and he was ashamed of it for a while. He got violent though(he also went the drinking rout). Seeking help isn't a weakness, it's a strength to know you don't have to go through it alone. I hope more people see this interview, it's not bs, it's an honest man telling you how it is.

Thank you for sharing all you did brother. God bless.

Thank you, for standing strong. Not just in areas most wouldn't, but also helping yourself after the fact! Just so you can share your testimony! Lord bless this man and all the others that stand strong for all of us at home!

Don't go to war. You'll die from the inside out

Human beings are not natural killers, if we were we wouldn't have shit like battle fatigue and PTSD, kids of 16+ wouldn't have to turned into killing machines, taught how to kill someone in vague and short instructions like "aim for the centre of the mass" instead of "kill that human being". Its the reason why specialised training had to be introduced to make soldiers actually kill, as orginally many didn't fire at the enermy to kill. Need to find out the actual statistics from the first world war, to the second and Vietnam, I know gradually more soldiers fired their weapons to kill because of new training techniques. War isn't natural, it occurs because of shit like a lack of resources (That's literally why the first human tribes started fighting each other because they needed resources to build and to feed themselves), because of power, greed and imperalistic bullshit. As Harry Patch said "War is nothing more then organised murder" and if politicians want to go to war, they should be the ones to fight not poor fuckers like this guy. Make it into a boxing match?

Poor soldiers.That is just breaking my heart.They have my respect for all they go through for us.

Hope you are well, I struggle every day. Thanks for sharing brother.

SGNT Blanco, God bless you. Your service is appreciated immensely; stay strong. I'm sure we can all agree, we love you.

Can’t imagine what he’s going through right now.

Wow! this guy is so brave to share his story! I hope he is thriving!

love you blanco you know that bro

I can relate with him. I've done 2 tours.

First of all Thank you for your service and sacrifices! Im sorry your soul needed to experience this!! Please make a full circle and help others that have suffered. You could truly understand them and that is the best way to help!! As you heal others you will heal yourself more and more!!

Thank you for serving

After I got back from the Iraq war...I struggled for years too....When I gave my life to the Lord...I was completely free from the past....

You are a soldier, one who defends us. If you are not strong, then how can we be strong? A solider must be more important and respected than a president. It's because of a solider that we all can sleep peacefully. And Blanco, you should be proud of yourself for being one. There are difficulties for everyone. But don't let those obstacles take over you. You live for a purpose and if you believe that you are living in the right path, then you shouldn't be worried about anything. You are strong, I am strong, we all are strong.

His face shows all the hatred/regrets/angry sadness the war has left him. I've never been to war, but when I lost my father I had similar symptoms, trauma. Only time will heal my man 🙏

Stay with us Blanco. We all need and love ya man!

God bless you

I was in and out of the hospital at fort campbell for about 10-12 months. I was drinking heavily, my marriage fell apart, and it seemed as if i were in a dark hole, stuck. I was the same way as blanco as i knew there was a problem with me but i didnt wanna look like a wuss at the big bad 1-506 asking for help cuz my mental health was deteriorating. I was very close to going off the edge when i finally seeked out help. 4 years later the symptoms pop up every now and then but cannabis has helped me tremendously. Keep ur head up blanco!!

He's very brave Man to talk about his PTSD ,bless you xx

I appreciate this mans service and contribution to our nation. Thank you.

I spent 13 months in iraq. During that tour, with incoming fire and mortars everyday - I was just a young private not knowing, but just learning my way and what I had to do. During that tour a mortar came in, hitting the Connex we were living in, spraying shrapnel throughout. It got both my sergeants and it also got three of my friends. I have nightmares everynight i go to sleep.

It's very brave of this man to talk about his depression.n a step towards coming out of it.we r born to love an when grown an have ti face such things as war it changes r spirit.depression can b healed with love.much love n blessings to this man.I hope his journey n life takes him to a higher place n his depression leaves an his soul can find peace n love.thanks for the vid :-)

Bless you sir🌷. I have sent this to my 19-year-old son that’s considering joining the Air Force

It is the soldiers that come back from war and NOT have any issues are the ones who have the mental issue.

Samurai Code (Warrior Ethos): Bushidō, (武士道?) literally meaning "the way of the warrior", is a Japanese word for the way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry in Europe.The "way" itself originates from the samurai moral values, most commonly stressing some combination of frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor until death. Born from Neo-Confucianism during times of peace in Tokugawa Japan and following Confucian texts, Bushido was also influenced by Shinto and Zen Buddhism, allowing the violent existence of the samurai to be tempered by wisdom and serenity. Bushidō developed between the 16th and 20th centuries, debated by pundits who believed they were building on a legacy dating back to the 10th century, although some scholars have noted that the term bushidō itself is "rarely attested in premodern literature".[1]Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, some aspects of warrior values became formalized into Japanese feudal law.[2]The word was first used in Japan during the 17th century in Kōyō Gunkan.[3][4][5] It came into common usage in Japan and the West after the 1899 publication of Nitobe Inazō's Bushido: The Soul of Japan.[6]In Bushido (1899), Nitobe wrote:[…] Bushidō, then, is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe […] More frequently it is a code unuttered and unwritten […] It was an organic growth of decades and centuries of military career. In order to become a samurai this code has to be mastered.Nitobe was not the first to document Japanese chivalry in this way. In Feudal and Modern Japan (1896), historian Arthur May Knapp wrote: *"The samurai of thirty years ago had behind him a thousand years of training in the law of honor, obedience, duty, and self-sacrifice.... It was not needed to create or establish them. As a child he had but to be instructed, as indeed he was from his earliest years, in the etiquette of self-immolation.* - *Wikipedia*