LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Nightmares, pain and depression so deep that it make him think of suicide -- he calls it the war after the war. But now a wounded soldier uses his story to inspire others and help himself heal.
The patches and pins on Gordon Ewell's vest help tell the tale of the retired master sergeant's life. "Everything on here means something to me," he says. "Remember the vest, then I hope they remember the message."
24 years in the military and full-time Army National Guard -- he called himself a bomb hunter. He says, "The last time I was blown up was more than my body could take. Broke my neck. They rebuilt the left side of my face, lost an eye." That was in Iraq in 2006.
Recent reports from the federal government show a striking 80 percent increase in suicides among Army personnel since the start of the Iraq war. PTSD, domestic violence, divorce, are all on the rise among soldiers.
"It's sometimes tough to put what I'm feeling into words," Ewell says, "because I just can't find the words because of the brain injury.
But he found enough words to author a book -- three of them, in fact. The latest, titled "A Lifetime of War," is what brought him to the American Legion Post in Saint Matthews. It's one of his eight stops in Kentucky in five days and part of a nationwide tour.
Ewell is sharing his story of a five-year road to recovery. All the proceeds go to each state's Wounded Warrior Project. He says, "My recovery road has been so long, PTSD, depression, and nightmares. I want them to know they're not alone and maybe if they know they're not alone and if I can get through it and they hang on, they can get through it too."
Larry Fields picked up a copy for his son, both Air Force veterans: "It's kind of like being in a fraternity, just to see the experiences others have had -- what you've experienced and what they've experienced."
Ewell says, "If I can reach just one person, then I feel like it will have all been worth it."
Ewell will sign books at the American Legion post in Saint Matthews until 6:00 Tuesday night. So far, he's raised $5,000 for Kentucky's Wounded Warrior Project.
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