FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – When Kristofer Goldsmith was discharged from the Army in 2007 he was in crisis. He had been trained as a forward observer — the person who spots a target and gives coordinates to artillery — but when he got to Iraq, the then 19-year-old instead found himself photographing dead bodies for intelligence gathering.
A suicide attempt before his second deployment triggered a less than honorable discharge and a long fight to gain honorable status after being diagnosed with PTSD.
Goldsmith credits the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical staff with saving his life. The VA and its partner mental health providers have kept thousands of veterans in treatment during the coronavirus pandemic through telehealth appointments.