Veteran Opens Up About Path to Recovery

The holiday season can be a tough time of year for the increasing numbers of veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pentagon statistics show that suicides are surging among U.S. troops. A recent report by the Center for a New American Security found that for every US soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, 25 military veterans commit suicide after returning home. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 18 veterans of all wars die by suicide each day. Three young veterans who were deployed several times in Afghanistan and Iraq spoke with KPFA. They opened up about their own demons and their personal road to recovery in hopes of helping other veterans. In the first of three reports, Karin Argoud speaks with Corporal Eric Arvizu, who is receiving treatment at the Pathway Home program in Yountville in Napa County.