Iraq veteran confronts the spiritual toll of war
Iraq War veteran Lee Wagner describes moral injury, which happens when people feel they become responsible for actions that violate their moral compass, at Passavant Retirement Community Wednesday morning. Chris Kopacz/Butler Eagle
Beyond PTSD
ZELIENOPLE — Many people who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces find themselves charged with commands that challenge their beliefs.
In the case of Lee Wagner, who deployed to Iraq as a Marine Corps sergeant in 2003, his very arrival led to an unforeseen dread.
“When we were entering into Iraq, the first few hours, few days of entering into Iraq, there was a lot of children along the side of the road,” he said. “There were a lot of people along some of the roads.”
A portion of this story is shared with you as a digital media exclusive. Subscribers can read the full story at the link below. To support our local, independent newsroom, please subscribe at butlereagle.com.