Losing Private Dwyer Analysis

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In “Losing Private Dwyer” Lawrence Downes tells the story about an Army medic who gets deployed overseas to Iraq, and after he comes home his friends realize that he has changed dramatically. This story is about the destruction of Private Dwyer, and how the Military failed to save him. Before he went to Iraq, Joseph Dwyer was just a regular guy. He first signed up for the army after 9/11, so he could go and help catch the terrorists that hurt America. He was a great man who obviously cared about his friends and family. Angela Minor, who was an army buddy of Private Dwyer’s, described him as “a guy who would change your oil and check your tires unasked and pick you up by your broken-down car at 3 a.m.”. Another friend is Dionne Knapp, she was a single mother that was in army as well. When Ms. Knapp was called up to be deployed, Private Dwyer took her place so that she would not have to be separated from her children. This is just one of many kind acts that Joseph would do for people. As soon as Private Dwyer came home from Iraq, his friends could immediately tell that something in him had changed. His friends stated that “He was also skinny and haunted. …show more content…

There is psychotherapy, counseling, medication, peer counseling etc. However, because of the rules and regulations that they have in place, it is actually hard to receive treatment, and what little treatment soldiers do get it is often not enough. Private Dwyer went to multiple treatment centers to get help for his PTSD and addiction, but no matter how long he stayed it was never enough time, as soon as he got out his paranoia would come back just as worse. The only thing that really helped Private Dwyer was peer counseling, from a fellow veteran who had witnessed similar things in Iraq. By that time it was too late for Dwyer, he had already spiraled so far into his