Was a pretty good guy. I helped brief him several times in late 2004 and he always asked insightful questions etc. He had an aide that was a chem officer who had branch transfered to Infantry and he made sure that the guy spent the last couple months being an AS3 with my battalion so he could go to ICCC with some skills. The bombing in the Marez chowhall was horrific and would have been traumatic to anyone, despite of age or rank.

When I got back back from my first trip in Oct 04 there was nothing PTSD or TBI wise. Yet after a violent fight my company was in, late Jan 07, we were able to get a team to talk to my Soldiers several hours after returning to the FOB. I've no doubt that 'service' helped the boys, especially some of the medics who were unable to save several children.

Sometimes the pendulum swings too far and we ought to watch out for that, but good for Ham for saying he had a problem, sought help, and successfully worked through it.