Some just made one slip. Other members of this group of veterans never stood a chance against the soothe of drugs and alcohol.
Fort Lyon, a military base 200 miles southeast of Denver that once served as a hospital, now houses up to 300 recovering homeless people, focusing particularly closely on veterans, according to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ website.
Richard Johnson, a writer and illustrator who has covered the lives of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, recently spent three nights with the facility's residents, learning the details that led them to battle, the bottle, the streets and, finally, to a recovery plan.
He sketched a dozen such stories with the kind of painful precision that won’t let you label these hurting men. Rather, these drawings will push you to read the revealing lines of each vet’s face to get the full picture of what it means to serve and to struggle to safely find your way home.
Spc. Joshua Aaron Smart, Army medic, 32
"I used to save lives and now I’m a drunk," Spc. Joshua Aaron Smart told Johnson while hanging out in one of the facility’s communal areas, the illustrator wrote in a piece for Stars and Stripes.
Even while recovering, Smart says he’s still suffering tremendously and that his night terrors began after he dropped the drugs and alcohol. He sleeps on the floor because of the nightmares and when they strike, he believes he has to get dressed in a hurry as if he were back in Iraq.
While serving in Iraq in 2003, a mortar round landed outside of Smart’s vehicle, blowing him out of his seat.
He recovered for a week, went right back into combat and eventually developed an opiate dependency.
While living with addiction -- and even worse, admitting to having a problem -- often riddles veterans with shame, such substance abuse is on the rise among this community.
Prescription drug abuse doubled among U.S. military personnel from 2002 to 2005 and almost tripled between 2005 and 2008, according to the 2008 Department of Defense Health Behavior Survey. This spike was in direct correlation to physicians’ responses to the needs of wounded military members.
Doctors wrote 3.8 million prescriptions for pain relief medication for service members in 2009, four times more than in 2001, USA Today reported in 2010.
Pvt. Michael Zarnes, Army, age 26
The drinking "took off" for Pvt. Michael Zarnes, 26, when he returned home from Iraq, but the post-traumatic stress disorder, he says, came from the rough encounters he had during the four-year period he spent living on the streets.
Homelessness is on the decline for veterans -- rates dropped 24 percent from 2010 to last year -- and the VA says it’s on track to end the issue once and for all by next year.
But experts in the field aren’t so sure that will happen.
"Just because the VA says it's over, doesn't mean it is. We're still seeing plenty of need," Steve Peck, president of the U.S. Veterans Initiative, told Military.com.
Sgt. 1st Class Marc Smith, Army, 39
Marc Smith devoted 17 years to the military and "loved" the experience and has "no complaints." But after he tested positive for drugs, he was discharged and eventually, his kids were taken away from him, he told Johnson.
Smith says one of the challenges he faced was feeling completely unprepared to transition to civilian life, a sentiment that is echoed among many veterans when they come back from war.
"Coming home from combat transforms you in ways for which you are not prepared," U.S. Marine Roxley Pratt, who was deployed to Iraq after 9/11, told Hollywood director J.J. Abrams and HuffPost blogger Eric Greitens.
Not only are veterans often unprepared, they also face hiring discrimination because potential employers assume they'll "go postal" because they may have PTSD or other mental health disorders, Nancy Adams, Army transition manager, told USA Today last year.
There are obstacles, Johnson says, that are just far too much to battle.
"Their stories -- about war, abuse, death -- were sometimes unbelievable, sometimes clearly embellished," Johnson wrote, "and at other times all too believable and gutting."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.