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The cost of waiting: Recognizing PTSD symptoms, seeking support
June 30, 2026 — For many service members, the hardest part of post-traumatic stress disorder can be acknowledging they need to seek support, and that accepting help is a form of proactive resilience. Every June, the Air Force Medical Service brings awareness to PTSD, a mental health concern that can worsen if left untreated...

Air Force updates mental health care policies, lowers barriers
May 2, 2024 — The Air Force’s mental health waiver policy in both the Air Force’s Medical Standards Directory and Aerospace Medicine Waiver Guide has been updated to allow for Airmen to receive 60 days of treatment for mental health concerns before a return to duty waiver to fly is required...

Department of the Air Force to review discharges of veterans with mental health conditions, experiences of sexual trauma
September 28, 2023 — The Department of the Air Force, or DAF, has agreed to review the discharges of thousands of veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, or other mental health conditions, or who experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment. The DAF will also implement administrative reforms for individuals who apply to have their discharge statuses upgraded in the future...

All trauma can cause post-traumatic stress disorder
June 27, 2023 — Post-traumatic stress disorder is commonly associated with combat-related trauma, but service members may not know that PTSD can also be caused by experiences beyond the battlefield...

PTSD survivor offers advice for understanding, healing
June 27, 2023 — June 27 is National PTSD Awareness Day, a time to talk about PTSD to better understand what it is and how people who feel they may be experiencing it can seek help. ...

Air Force secretary talks PTSD, mental health with medical leaders
June 30, 2022 — Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall met with Air Force Medical Service leaders to discuss the Department of the Air Force’s approach to prioritizing post-traumatic stress disorder care and support June 24...

Invisible Wounds Initiative helps build a supportive culture for Airmen, Guardians, and families through focused leadership
January 27, 2022 — The Command Team Campaign is a communications effort to increase knowledge and enable command teams to build connectedness, trust, and openness to tough conversations about cognitive, emotional, or behavioral conditions associated with trauma or adverse life events...

When PTSD hits home: A caregiver’s perspective
July 6, 2021 — Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, not only impacts the caregiver but the family as a whole...

Tough Conversations: Dealing with the effects of PTSD
July 1, 2021 — Brig. Gen. Caroline Miller, 502d Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio commander, and Command Chief Master Sgt. Wendell Snider hosted their “Tough Conversation” forum on the topic of PTSD June 29 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in recognition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month...

Living with PTSD: Family Style
June 30, 2021 — Many people have heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, and associate it with a tragic car wreck, military combat or sexual assault. Although those events can cause PTSD, there are hundreds...

PTSD: Seeking out mental health care is the first step to wellness
June 29, 2021 — Service members, family members and veterans who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder may repeatedly re-experience their ordeal as nightmares, flashbacks or frightening thoughts, especially when exposed to events that remind them of their original trauma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Shedding light on the invisible wounds of PTSD
June 4, 2021 — According to the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, more than 7.7 million Americans over the age of 18 suffer from PTSD...

Program for sexual assault survivors available at JBSA
April 2, 2021 — Joint Base San Antonio has been home to an intensive outpatient program for survivors of sexual assault since 2014, and now that program has been selected as a pilot site for an evaluation study of TRICARE’s Sexual Trauma Intensive Outpatient Programs...

Brooke Army Medical Center Soldier ready to run to raise suicide awareness
May 21, 2020 — Sgt. 1st Class Maité Bengoa, the enlisted advisor to the deputy commander of health readiness at Brooke Army Medical Center, is prepared to run for a good cause...

Month of the Military Caregiver: Hidden Heroes
May 20, 2020 — May is recognized as the Department of Defense’s Month of the Military Caregiver. This time is used to honor, commend and show appreciation for those that care for wounded, ill and injured service members. The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, known as AFW2, has a Caregiver Support and Family Program to assist caretakers in multiple ways,...

5th Medical Recruiting Battalion hosts PTSD lecture in New Orleans for physician residents
August 30, 2019 — The 5th Medical Recruiting Battalion at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston partnered with residency programs throughout the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas to conduct didactic lectures on post-traumatic stress disorder Aug. 9...

Informational campaign at JBSA-Randolph focuses on PTSD studies
June 21, 2019 — A federally funded, multi-institutional research group focused on combat post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions in active-duty military members will soon conclude a monthlong informational campaign at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph...

A Day That Resonates
September 17, 2018 — By looking at him you wouldn’t know it, but Tech Sgt. Trevor Brewer, 72nd Security Forces Squadron flight chief at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, has deep scars from a day that took the lives of two fellow Airmen and severely wounded two others. His wounds are invisible. He has post-traumatic stress disorder from a terrorist attack many may have heard news reports about and forgotten. But, Brewer has not forgotten that day … he relives those moments constantly...

Service dog rescues veteran from despair of PTSD
June 29, 2018 — After battling night terrors and the pain and anxiety of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for decades, an Air Force veteran found his lifeline at the end of a dog leash. (Editor's Note: This is part 2 of Ryan Kaono's story about living with PTSD.) ...

Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; a veteran's story
June 22, 2018 — Post-Traumatic stress disorder carries him into the depths of fear and pain; reliving images of death and destruction. Closing his eyes to night terrors at sundown and fighting through daily anxiety attacks eventually pushed him to the brink of suicide so he could put an end to the never-ending cycle. It wasn’t until his second suicide attempt that Air Force veteran and Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center support agreement manager Ryan Kaono took steps to face his invisible scars and reach out for help...