Soldier's invisible war: Iraq vet charged with attempted murder
08 August 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado Army Spc. Thomas Delgado saved lives as a combat medic on the front lines in Iraq, earning a Purple Heart when a bomb rocked his vehicle during his nearly yearlong tour. Back home, he was sometimes assigned the role of insurgent during combat training at a mock Iraqi village in California.
Thomas Delgado is charged with trying to kill his wife just days after their fifth wedding anniversary.
1 of 3 "He told me he felt like he never left" Iraq, said his wife, Shayla.
Soon after his return in December 2005, Delgado realized something many war veterans fail to recognize. He was suffering from post-traumatic stress and needed help. He complained of "fear of losing self control," "feelings of hopelessness" and "paranoia," medical records show.
The 25-year-old soldier is now at the center of a controversial attempted murder case, charged with trying to kill his wife in September 2008. She says prosecutors have it all wrong. Her husband of five years needs medical help, not prison. And, she says, he never tried to kill her. source: cnn.com