Personal Journeys: The colonel's war

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Personal Journeys: The colonel's war

Eric Welsh is on a mission to help veterans combat the unseen battle scars of PTSD.

Eric Welsh with his collection of "Leaderships Coins" given to him by senior commanders for acts of excellence during his 28 year military career at his Marietta home. Welsh volunteers to help homeless veterans suffering from PTSD. This den is a four-walled testimony to 28 years of military service. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

A single father, Welsh shares his home in east Cobb with his teenage sons, Coby and Willie. "Truth be told, he is my best friend," Coby says of his father. "No one could be there for me any more than him." Willie nods. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

Welsh juggles the demands of work, volunteer and keeping food on the table for Coby (right) and Willie. Welsh has a simple reason for leaving the military two years ago. "I wasn't going to let my sons be one more in a long list of tragedies from this war." PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

A single father, Welsh shares his home in east Cobb with his teenage sons, Coby and Willie. "Truth be told, he is my best friend," Coby says of his father. "No one could be there for me any more than him." Willie nods. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

Welsh talks to veterans at the Salvation Army Red Shield Center in Atlanta. Welsh a retired U.S. Army colonel speaks to these men each Saturday. PTSD has never been so prevalent. Officials at the Atlanta Veterans Medical Center estimate that 30 to 40 veterans are referred to its PTSD team every week. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

Welsh talks to veterans at the Salvation Army Red Shield Center in Atlanta. Welsh a retired U.S. Army colonel speaks to these men each Saturday. PTSD is nothing new. In World War II, it was called shell shock. Soldiers returning from Civil War battlefields complained of "soldier's heart." PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

Welsh talks to veterans at the Salvation Army Red Shield Center in Atlanta. Welsh a retired U.S. Army colonel speaks to these men each Saturday. After reading a book about PTSD, Welsh contacted the author and said he wanted to use her book to help others. Dr. Lisa Najavits, the author of "Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse" said she was very moved. "He's lived it--the best and worst. He conncets with veterans who may feel alone. I just think the world of what he is doing'" Najavits said. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

Welsh talks to veterans at the Salvation Army Red Shield Center in Atlanta. Welsh a retired U.S. Army colonel speaks to these men each Saturday. After reading a book about PTSD, Welsh contacted the author and said he wanted to use her book to help others. Dr. Lisa Najavits, the author of "Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse" said she was very moved. "He's lived it--the best and worst. He conncets with veterans who may feel alone. I just think the world of what he is doing'" Najavits said. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

U.S. soldiers from Demon Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry--Welsh's command--come under fire from insurgents in western Mosul in November 2007. Welsh suffered so many roadside bombs that physicians diagnosed him with traumatic brain injuries, or TBI. Mosul was a cauldron of IEDs. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)

Welsh salutes the fallen. He commanded a battalion that lost 28 soldiers during 2006 and 2007 in Mosul, Iraq. When Welsh talks about Mosul, his is there again--in the heat, and the dust and the dirt. Welsh cannot talk without waging a smaller war with his emotions. Photo courtesy of Eric Welsh

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Eric Welsh with his collection of "Leaderships Coins" given to him by senior commanders for acts of excellence during his 28 year military career at his Marietta home. Welsh volunteers to help homeless veterans suffering from PTSD. This den is a four-walled testimony to 28 years of military service. PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

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