Local Veteran shares personal story on how fireworks can trigger PTSD

By: ABC57 Staff

Posted: Jul 3, 2015 8:36 AM EST | Updated: Jul 3, 2015 9:41 AM EST

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Fireworks are made up of color and noise that will be filling our skies all weekend long. For some, they’re a lot of fun but for others, they can be traumatic.

Daniel Perrine, a decorated US Army veteran and ABC 57 employee, served two tours in Iraq and has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

He says those loud booms from fireworks could easily trigger flashbacks from overseas.

“It kinda puts you back in that frame of mind of the last time you heard an explosion,” says Perrine.

Perrine shared some of his war stories, most of them you would only hear in movies.

“My truck got hit three times by roadside bombs,” says Perrine. “And you know, your hearing kind of goes out for a minute and then everything kind of snaps back into focus and you continue doing your mission.”

It’s those experiences he carries with him every day but more-so on certain holidays like the Fourth of July and New Years Eve.

Perrine says as much as you prepare for that sound, it’s important to remember to reach out to someone if you find yourself having a flashback.