PTSD Awareness Day ⋆ Veteran Owned Businesses News - VOBeacon

PTSD Awareness Day ⋆ Veteran Owned Businesses News - VOBeacon: June 27 marks PTSD Awareness Day. Today’s National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day observance reflects how PTSD became known as an “invisible wound of war” during more than a decade of combat, a Defense Health Agency official said. John Davison, a clinical psychologist and chief of condition-based specialty care in DHA’s clinical support division, said in a June 24 DoD News interview that it’s important to recognize PTSD’s signs and symptoms. “We know a lot more about PTSD today than we did after previous wars, such as Vietnam,” Davison said, noting that symptoms of PTSD have existed in every war in American history. The Senate established PTSD Awareness Day in 2010 following then-Sen. Kent Conrad’s efforts to designate a day of awareness as tribute to Army Staff Sgt. Joe Biel of the North Dakota National Guard, Davison said. Biel suffered from PTSD and took his life in April 2007 after returning to North Dakota following his second tour of duty in the Iraq War. Biel’s birthday, June 27, was chosen to mark PTSD Awareness Day and honor his memory.