Famous Medic dies of Drug overdose - The Orange Mane

Spider · 07-06-2008, 09:12 PM

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ea..._id=1003824518

PINEHURST, N.C. A former Army medic made famous by a photograph that showed him carrying an injured Iraqi boy during the first week of the war has died of an apparent overdose, police said.

Joseph Patrick Dwyer died last week at a hospital in Pinehurst, according to the Boles Funeral Home. He was 31.

The photograph, taken in March 2003, showed Dwyer running to a makeshift military hospital while cradling the boy. The photo appeared in newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts worldwide, making Dwyer became a symbol of heroism.

Dwyer laughed when a reporter told him of the photo and its widespread circulation, and he tried to deflect focus to his entire unit. His mother, Maureen, said then that the photo embarrassed her son because it singled him out while other soldiers were doing the same thing.

Last week, Dwyer called a local taxi service to take him to the hospital after an apparent overdose, Capt. Floyd Thomas of the Pinehurst Police Department told the Fayetteville Observer. When the driver arrived, Dwyer said he couldn't get to the door, according to a police report.

Police kicked in the door at Dwyer's request, and he was taken by ambulance to a Pinehurst hospital. Thomas said bottles of prescription pills were found near Dwyer when police arrived. The former medic died later the night of June 28, according to authorities.

Dwyer served with the 3rd Squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of Fort Stewart, Ga. He earned the Combat Medical Badge and other military awards.

His mother said the military could have done more to help with post-traumatic stress. "He just couldn't get over the war," Maureen Dwyer said. "He just couldn't do it. Just wasn't Joseph. Joseph never came home."

His wife, Matina, said: "He was just never the same when he came back, because of all the things he saw. ... He tried to seek treatment, but it didn’t work."

She told a reporter that she hoped that her husband’s death would bring more attention to PTSD issues.

Kelly Kennedy, who has won wide praise for her coverage of the war and problems faced by returning soldiers, added details in her account for Military Times. An excerpt follows.
*
For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear.

On June 28, Dwyer, 31, died of an accidental overdose in his home in Pinehurst, N.C., after years of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. During that time, his marriage fell apart as he spiraled into substance abuse and depression. He found himself constantly struggling with law, even as friends, Veterans Affairs personnel and the Army tried to help him.

“Of course he was looked on as a hero here,” said Capt. Floyd Thomas of the Pinehurst Police Department. Still, “we’ve been dealing with him for over a year.”

The day he died, Dwyer apparently took pills and inhaled the fumes of an aerosol can in an act known as “huffing.” Thomas said Dwyer then called a taxi company for a ride to the hospital...

When he returned from war after three months in Iraq, he developed the classic, treatable symptoms of PTSD. like so many other combat vets, he didn’t seek help. In restaurants, he sat with his back to the wall. He avoided crowds. He stayed away from friends. He abused inhalants, he told Newsday. In 2005, he and his family talked with Newsday to try to help other service members who might need help. He talked with the paper from a psychiatric ward at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was committed after his first run-in with the police.

In October 2005, he thought there were Iraqis outside his window in El Paso, Texas. When he heard a noise, he started shooting. Three hours later, police enticed him to come out and no one was injured.
*
Greg Mitchell's new book includes several chapters on the plight of Iraq vets. It is "So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq.

Spider · 07-06-2008, 09:13 PM

Isnt war great ........

baja · 07-06-2008, 09:35 PM

Love the way we treat our hero's, where were the flag wavers that would scream at anyone who dare say the war was wrong a few years before it was popular to say so. Screeming we were tradiors to the troops and not supporting them. Where were those fake patriots when that deeply wounded soldier need them. What a bull shiit bunch of Americans they are and you know who you are, there is a lot of you right here.

Spider · 07-06-2008, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baja

Love the way we treat our hero's, where were the flag wavers that would scream at anyone who dare say the war was wrong a few years before it was popular to say so. Screeming we were tradiors to the troops and not supporting them. Where were those fake patriots when that deeply wounded soldier need them. What a bull shiit bunch of Americans they are and you know who you are, there is a lot of you right here.

they have retreated back to the same hole they crawled out of

jhat01 · 07-06-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baja

Love the way we treat our hero's, where were the flag wavers that would scream at anyone who dare say the war was wrong a few years before it was popular to say so. Screeming we were tradiors to the troops and not supporting them. Where were those fake patriots when that deeply wounded soldier need them. What a bull shiit bunch of Americans they are and you know who you are, there is a lot of you right here.

Way to be completely condescending while simultaneously patting yourself on the back. Nicely done......Once again, we must all bow before the brilliance that is baja. You are an arrogant prick.

jhat01 · 07-06-2008, 10:09 PM

It's sad that so many vets are coming back messed up.

baja · 07-06-2008, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhat01

Way to be completely condescending while simultaneously patting yourself on the back. Nicely done......Once again, we must all bow before the brilliance that is baja. You are an arrogant prick.

What an incredible peace of crap you are do yourself a favor and jump off the dam.

cutthemdown · 07-07-2008, 12:07 AM

War stinks and I really believe it's time to wrap it up. Iraqis seem to have a handle on at least keeping control of the govt. Time to bring the boys home asap. I've been inquiring about doing some volunteer stuff at the VA hospital in Long Beach. These soldiers need our help and really all of us should try and do something. Don't just b**** about it people listen to stories like this and go out and try and help.

It's our job to make sure these soldiers get what they need. If we leave it to the govt we all know how that turns out.

Hopefully the war is winding down and we won't have to fight Iran. We really need to focus on licking our wounds and coming together as a nation.

jhat01 · 07-07-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baja

What an incredible peace of crap you are do yourself a favor and jump off the dam.

**** you and the goat you rode in on! I'm sure you are doing a lot for these vets from your hole in Mexico. I'm sure it makes these guys feel better that you were against the war before it was popular...go blow your own horn some more you dick

alkemical · 07-07-2008, 10:53 AM

it sucks this happened to him. With all the good research about how certain drugs can be of use to treat PTSD, etc - it's a shame that politics and money get in the way of true benefit.

Spider · 07-07-2008, 08:58 PM

Yahooooooo we got watersports , Homosexuality and goat ****ing in the is thread ..............

alkemical · 07-08-2008, 07:41 AM

leave my alpaca out of this!

broncofan7 · 07-08-2008, 10:13 AM

Truly a sad tale---i

theAPAOps5 · 07-08-2008, 11:05 AM

Thats sad, I didn't realize he had spiraled like this.

PTSD is a sad and scary condition. Growing up an army brat I had friends dads who returned different. I had a friend who's dad fought in Vietnam and one night while spending the night his dad came flying into the room screaming about NVC and to seek cover. I was 8 or 9 and I almost pissed my pants.

07-06-2008, 09:12 PM	#1
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	Famous Medic dies of Drug overdose http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ea..._id=1003824518 PINEHURST, N.C. A former Army medic made famous by a photograph that showed him carrying an injured Iraqi boy during the first week of the war has died of an apparent overdose, police said. Joseph Patrick Dwyer died last week at a hospital in Pinehurst, according to the Boles Funeral Home. He was 31. The photograph, taken in March 2003, showed Dwyer running to a makeshift military hospital while cradling the boy. The photo appeared in newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts worldwide, making Dwyer became a symbol of heroism. Dwyer laughed when a reporter told him of the photo and its widespread circulation, and he tried to deflect focus to his entire unit. His mother, Maureen, said then that the photo embarrassed her son because it singled him out while other soldiers were doing the same thing. Last week, Dwyer called a local taxi service to take him to the hospital after an apparent overdose, Capt. Floyd Thomas of the Pinehurst Police Department told the Fayetteville Observer. When the driver arrived, Dwyer said he couldn't get to the door, according to a police report. Police kicked in the door at Dwyer's request, and he was taken by ambulance to a Pinehurst hospital. Thomas said bottles of prescription pills were found near Dwyer when police arrived. The former medic died later the night of June 28, according to authorities. Dwyer served with the 3rd Squadron of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of Fort Stewart, Ga. He earned the Combat Medical Badge and other military awards. His mother said the military could have done more to help with post-traumatic stress. "He just couldn't get over the war," Maureen Dwyer said. "He just couldn't do it. Just wasn't Joseph. Joseph never came home." His wife, Matina, said: "He was just never the same when he came back, because of all the things he saw. ... He tried to seek treatment, but it didn’t work." She told a reporter that she hoped that her husband’s death would bring more attention to PTSD issues. Kelly Kennedy, who has won wide praise for her coverage of the war and problems faced by returning soldiers, added details in her account for Military Times. An excerpt follows. * For the medic who cared for the wounds of his combat buddies as they pushed toward Baghdad, the battle for his own health proved too much to bear. On June 28, Dwyer, 31, died of an accidental overdose in his home in Pinehurst, N.C., after years of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. During that time, his marriage fell apart as he spiraled into substance abuse and depression. He found himself constantly struggling with law, even as friends, Veterans Affairs personnel and the Army tried to help him. “Of course he was looked on as a hero here,” said Capt. Floyd Thomas of the Pinehurst Police Department. Still, “we’ve been dealing with him for over a year.” The day he died, Dwyer apparently took pills and inhaled the fumes of an aerosol can in an act known as “huffing.” Thomas said Dwyer then called a taxi company for a ride to the hospital... When he returned from war after three months in Iraq, he developed the classic, treatable symptoms of PTSD. like so many other combat vets, he didn’t seek help. In restaurants, he sat with his back to the wall. He avoided crowds. He stayed away from friends. He abused inhalants, he told Newsday. In 2005, he and his family talked with Newsday to try to help other service members who might need help. He talked with the paper from a psychiatric ward at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was committed after his first run-in with the police. In October 2005, he thought there were Iraqis outside his window in El Paso, Texas. When he heard a noise, he started shooting. Three hours later, police enticed him to come out and no one was injured. * Greg Mitchell's new book includes several chapters on the plight of Iraq vets. It is "So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq.

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07-06-2008, 09:13 PM	#2
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	Isnt war great ........

07-06-2008, 09:35 PM	#3
baja It is what it Is. Pay attention. Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 53,907 Adopt-a-Bronco: Buy My Book	Love the way we treat our hero's, where were the flag wavers that would scream at anyone who dare say the war was wrong a few years before it was popular to say so. Screeming we were tradiors to the troops and not supporting them. Where were those fake patriots when that deeply wounded soldier need them. What a bull shiit bunch of Americans they are and you know who you are, there is a lot of you right here.

07-06-2008, 10:09 PM	#6
jhat01 Ring of Famer Knuckle Dragging Homer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Langley, VA Posts: 1,799	It's sad that so many vets are coming back messed up.

07-07-2008, 12:07 AM	#8
cutthemdown A verbis ad verbera Zimm to HOF Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Long Beach Posts: 32,498	War stinks and I really believe it's time to wrap it up. Iraqis seem to have a handle on at least keeping control of the govt. Time to bring the boys home asap. I've been inquiring about doing some volunteer stuff at the VA hospital in Long Beach. These soldiers need our help and really all of us should try and do something. Don't just b**** about it people listen to stories like this and go out and try and help. It's our job to make sure these soldiers get what they need. If we leave it to the govt we all know how that turns out. Hopefully the war is winding down and we won't have to fight Iran. We really need to focus on licking our wounds and coming together as a nation.

07-07-2008, 10:53 AM	#10
alkemical Guerrilla Ontologist rorrim\|mirror Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Future Posts: 42,696 Adopt-a-Bronco: Prima Materia	it sucks this happened to him. With all the good research about how certain drugs can be of use to treat PTSD, etc - it's a shame that politics and money get in the way of true benefit.

07-07-2008, 08:58 PM	#11
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	Yahooooooo we got watersports , Homosexuality and goat ****ing in the is thread ..............

07-08-2008, 07:41 AM	#12
alkemical Guerrilla Ontologist rorrim\|mirror Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Future Posts: 42,696 Adopt-a-Bronco: Prima Materia	leave my alpaca out of this!

07-08-2008, 10:13 AM	#13
broncofan7 AKA "THE STANDARD" BQ looks ALMOST as good as I do Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: BIG D Posts: 6,022	Truly a sad tale---i

07-08-2008, 11:05 AM	#14
theAPAOps5 A new beginning! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denver Posts: 26,058 Adopt-a-Bronco: Watermock - RIP	Thats sad, I didn't realize he had spiraled like this. PTSD is a sad and scary condition. Growing up an army brat I had friends dads who returned different. I had a friend who's dad fought in Vietnam and one night while spending the night his dad came flying into the room screaming about NVC and to seek cover. I was 8 or 9 and I almost pissed my pants.