Summary Of The Last True Story I Ll Ever Tell

John Crawford went to university at Florida State University. He joined the Florida National Guard to pay for his tuition at that university. He was on his honeymoon when he received an email saying that he had to serve in the Iraq war. He was only supposed to be in Iraq for three months but he was there for over a year (Hinson). “The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell” by John Crawford is a story about what it was like to be a soldier in the Iraq war. In “The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell”, John Crawford shows how war can drastically change soldiers by having psychological effects on them and when soldiers come back from war they can feel like they are alone.
Some psychological effects are post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, depression,

In his dream, “A crashing boom broke the night air and I jumped up on my cot with a start. It took me a moment to realize where I was. Pearson and Hightower were already up, throwing on body armor and grabbing weapons to defend the perimeter” (Crawford 1638). This dream showed that John relived the trauma of the Iraq War.
John Crawford also showed signs of depression. In the story he writes “Most days I was sick. It was a lingering, wasting sickness that comes only when you have nothing left” (Crawford 1639). When John talks about being sick he isn’t referring to being sick with the flu or cold. He’s referring to being sick with depression. He also writes “There are people out there who really don’t know why they get up in the morning; it’s sad, and that’s how you know it’s true” (Crawford 1639). Sometimes depression can leave someone feeling like they have no reason to live and that is what John Crawford means in this quote. Some signs and symptoms of depression include feelings of worthless or guilt, fewer interest or joy in activities, and feeling sad or empty

He was homeless and that made him feel lonely. He was homeless because he was having marriage troubles. “a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks” (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans). This quote applies to John Crawford because he had post-traumatic stress disorder and he did not have support from his family or friends. John Crawford was also an alcoholic and he drank to not feel lonely. If John Crawford had had a good support system he wouldn’t have been homeless and an