Retired Army Maj. and V4V Vice-Chairman Ed Pulido talks about the psychological struggles he faced after being wounded in Iraq to an audience of more than 1,000 government health-care professionals at the 2010 Defense Department/Department of Veterans Affairs Suicide Prevention Conference, Jan. 11, 2010, in Washington, D.C. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden

 

But as he sat in his hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he began to realize that recovering from his physical disability was only a small part of that challenge.

“When my leg was taken away … I sat in the hospital bed not knowing what was happening to me mentally,” said Pulido, who medically retired after a 19-year Army career. “I remember those three weeks at Brooke where I thought about the fact that as positive as I am, I hit that dark place, and those hidden wounds were the ones that would cripple me at times when I just didn’t understand.” Read more HERE