PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can affect people who have experienced extremely stressful and traumatic events, such as witnessing the loss of human life or as being a victim of a violent attack.Air Force Master Sgt. Justin Jordan, the Air Force support integration superintendent with the Air Force Inspection Agency here, lives with PTSD. The 17-year Air Force veteran has served numerous overseas deployments and assignments with mortuary affairs. "Constantly dealing with death, dismay and putting soldiers in the ground at record pace is what led me to having PTSD," Jordan said. "Your brain is just not equipped to take that all the time." Those closest to Johnson couldn't tell he was dealing with PTSD, because the signs are not always obvious. "People who worked around me had no idea that I had these issues," he said. "I could be totally freaking out and holding a conversation with them at the same time." His symptoms, he said, include zoning out for hours at a time, flashbacks to stressful events, fear of crowds, avoidance and constant worry. "There were times when I would drive 20 [mph] down the highway because I was positively certain that a tire would pop." His family was affected by his condition as well. "My children suffered, for there were times when I didn't let them go outside to play because I was so worried that something was going to happen," Jordan said. All of these things led his friends and family to tell him something was wrong and he needed help. While attending an event on base with his daughter, Jordan met Jim and Lindsey Stanek, founders of a nonprofit organization called "Paws and Stripes." The organization trains and provides service dogs at no cost for veterans dealing with PTSD and other mental and cognitive disabilities. Jordan said talking with the Staneks gave him hope that this could be exactly what he needed, and after extensive research and consulting with his doctor, he decided to enroll in the program. Paws and Stripes trains dogs to be constant companions of their owners, so wherever the owner goes, the dog goes. Because they are service dogs, in the same category as seeing-eye dogs for the blind, business establishments and airlines must, by law, admit them. Though Paws and Stripes provides veterans with service dogs, Jordan elected to have the organization train a dog he already had, a 2-year-old female English bulldog named "Dallas." Having a canine companion in the workplace is an important part of the therapy that the dogs provide. Because leaving the dog at home would be the equivalent of not taking daily medication, Jordan sought and received approval from his chain of command to bring Dallas to work. "I got a lot of support all the way from chiefs to colonels, who told me that they knew exactly what I was going through," he said. Jordan said taking Dallas to work every day mitigates the effects of PTSD. She has an area next to his desk, and to keep him from zoning out, she is trained to tug on his sleeve several times an hour as well as pace back and forth catch his attention. In the same way that dogs are trained to detect seizures before they occur, "Dallas is being trained to detect if I'm about to have an issue, and if so, she'll do something to distract me," Jordan said. Dallas also is trained to watch Jordan's back. When his back is turned to a door, she is trained to face the door so she will be able to alert him if anyone comes in. Also, if Jordan is in a line, Dallas will position herself behind him to give him space and prevent others from getting too close. All of this is done in a nonaggressive matter. She does not bark, bite or threaten people in any way. Having a dog at work can create challenges, because Dallas is on a leash with Jordan at all times. If someone in the office needs assistance lifting or moving something, Jordan ties Dallas' leash to his belt and then helps out. "I don't want to be treated 'special,'" Jordan said. "I have a dog and she helps me, just like someone with a wheelchair. I don't want anyone saying that because I have a dog I can't do something. Whatever it is that I have to do, me and Dallas will make it happen." Jordan sometimes faces odd stares and sometimes is stopped by people wanting to know why he has a dog in the building. He turns these challenges into opportunities to talk about PTSD and organizations like Paws and Stripes that help veterans assimilate into society. "I've suffered a lot of guilt," Jordan said. "But I'm old enough now to know if you need help, get it. Dallas provides that help. She's got my ‘6’ every day." Oct. 4, 2010: By Brian Brackens- 377th Air Base Wing

An intelligence analyst by night, Lane, who hails from Jacksonville, Fla., spends his days at the education center here teaching college algebra to service members for the University of Maryland.Lane has worked for 20 years as an educator, having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of South Florida as well as a Master’s degree in administration. “I love working with soldiers and helping students,â€Â he said. “I’m really in my element when I’m teaching.â€Â Here in Iraq, Lane serves with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). Besides teaching his scheduled classes, Lane spends much of his free time at the education center offering extra tutoring for students. He also teaches an online course for Strayer University. Some of Lane’s students at the education center are fellow soldiers from his company. Spc. Alexandria Dean, a transportation coordination manager from Valdosta, Ga., is taking her first college course with Lane. When she heard that he was going to be her professor, she was a little apprehensive. “He seemed boring and drawn out,â€Â Dean said. But she noted her opinion of Lane has since changed. “He’s a really good teacher,â€Â Dean said of Lane’s ability and classroom demeanor. “His stories are funny and he’s smart. He likes to communicate a lot.â€Â Dean said she is “not good with math,â€Â but added that Lane’s teaching ability and personality have made the class easier for her to understand. Compared to other math teachers she’s had, Dean said she has had to ask fewer questions than in the past. Though his teaching career spans two decades, Lane also has been a lifelong student. In addition to his degrees in education, he also has earned a Masters of Divinity degree, which he plans to put to good use by becoming a military chaplain candidate upon redeployment. Oct. 1, 2010: By Army Sgt. Blake Pittman- 224th Sustainment Brigade

Serving here with Forward Support Command, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Draper said her grandfather, Teddy Draper Sr., was one of the celebrated Navajo “Code Talkers.â€Ââ€œEven at a young age, I could see the pride my grandfather took in having served his country, and I also understood the sacrifices he made,â€Â Draper said, noting she and her grandfather both hail from Chinle, Ariz.Code talkers transmitted coded messages over radio and telephone utilizing the Navajo language, or Diné Ke’Ji, which was undecipherable by the enemy. Draper said she grew up very close to her grandfather during her youth, having heard him recite stories of his military service. He retired as a sergeant major. During his career he’d received a Purple Heart, the Congressional Gold Medal, and his own personal Congressional Silver Medal, along with numerous other honors. “I miss her, and I worry about her,â€Â Draper Sr. said of his granddaughter. “But America needs its defenders.â€Â Draper said she has traveled a long way from the beautiful red-rocked mesas of Arizona to the golden sands of Iraq. Growing up on a reservation, she said she was raised, like her grandfather, within the culture of the Navajo people. “I speak and write in our native Navajo language in addition to English, following in a tradition our clan has kept alive as part of their heritage -- along with their religion, beliefs, legends and values,â€Â she said. When Draper was considering carrying on the family tradition of military service, she said her grandfather didn’t coax her at all. But when she told him she had decided to join the Army, she recalled how proud he was of her. “He gave me his full support, calling me ‘My Soldier,’â€Â she said. Sept. 30, 2010: By Army Spc. Jerry Ellis- 4th Infantry Division

Lueken, 21, graduated from boot camp here, along with 482 other newly minted Marines, on Sept. 23. The St. Louis, Miss., native previously played football for four years as an offensive tackle at Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Miss.“I tried out for the [Chaminade] football team as a freshman and was advised by the coach to pursue an athletic career in football,â€Â said Lueken, who later was awarded a full athletic scholarship to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. Lueken said he owes much to the strong character of his mother, who died of breast cancer seven years ago. She was one of the first women Marines to graduate from boot camp after it was designed to replicate men’s training, he said. She served six years in the Marines. “She would tell me, ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine,’â€Â Lueken recalled. “She taught me principles, traits and aspects of the Marine Corps like dedication, loyalty and to be good to the people around me.â€Â After his mother died, Lueken channeled his emotions and energy into sports. Lueken said he was “physically and mentally readyâ€Â to play college football at the University of Kansas, noting he played for the Jayhawks for nearly two years. The intensity and dedication required to play college football, he said, is similar to the intensity and dedication required for the Marine Corps. “There were many days we got up at 4 a.m. and would physically train, have film sessions where we studied the opponent, and position meetings, which are like small-unit meetings similar to having fire teams,â€Â Lueken said. “We would also take college classes, [and] have tutors for classes, which were required because we often wouldn’t be finished until 10 p.m.â€Â Despite his athletic accomplishments, Lueken said he eventually realized he didn’t want to be a football player. “I was playing at the highest level and I felt like I was wasting my time,â€Â Lueken said. “My years of youth could be spent for a better cause. I figured you only have your body and health once; I wanted to put it to good use.â€Â Lueken said he couldn’t ignore the fact that he was just playing a game. “The Marine Corps is not a game. It deals with real issues,â€Â he said. “College football is pure entertainment. It’s what people watch to get their minds off real-world issues.â€Â “Lueken understands the [Marine Corps] core values because he has known them all his life,â€Â said Staff Sgt. Levi K. Fajardo, senior drill instructor, Platoon 3246, Company L. “He had them in him when he got here. He came with a good foundation and he was well prepared.â€Â “What’s so appealing about the Marine Corps is that it’s a group of people that can get together and strive for a better cause,â€Â Lueken said. “I am a big believer in the ripple effect — you do something and it carries to another person.â€Â Lueken said he made the right choice by joining the Marines and doesn’t regret leaving football. “I don’t want to wake up one day and look back and say, ‘I wish I would have,’â€Â he said. Football “was exciting and fun, but we weren’t helping anyone.â€Â Sept. 28, 2010: By Marine Corps Cpl. Rebecca A. Lamont- Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego