USA

Iraq veteran says friends call him at 3am 'with pistol in hand' over war horrors

A former Iraq war veteran has revealed how friends call him up in the middle of the night with a “pistol in hand” because of the horrific memories they share from their time in combat.

Anthony Marquez, who was in the US Army for seven years, said he and his friends still suffer from the mental scars of the war, more than a decade after returning home.

The 33-year-old, from Las Vegas, Nevada, said his friends are “broken”, and that he has had to talk them out of suicide multiple times.

“I have friends that call me at 3am with a pistol in their hand,” Marquez told The Sun.

“They just want to talk and they tell me they can’t take it anymore and they’re ready to pull the trigger. I’ve talked them out of it.”

Marquez said he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and night terrors, and that he believes more needs to be done to help veterans who are struggling with the same issues.

“I still deal with PTSD and it’s hard to talk about,” he said. “There are a lot of veterans who can’t get the help they need.”

Marquez said he and his friends are not alone in their continued suffering, and that there are thousands of veterans who still have nightmares and flashbacks from their time in combat.

“We’re all broken,” he said. “It’s not just us. It’s thousands of veterans.”

Marquez said he hopes people will remember the sacrifices of veterans and that more help is given to those who need it.

“It’s important to remember the sacrifice we made,” he said. “We need more help for those who are struggling with war horrors.”