The ALA Stories blog series showcases positive American Legion Auxiliary experiences, thoughts, and ideas of ALA members. We hope these blog posts will inspire and encourage all who read them.
Guest blog by Carole Baldwin
Member of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 28 in Millsboro, Del.
My father, William R. Vernotico, was a World War II U.S. Army veteran. He was one of the thousands who landed on the beaches of Normandy in France on D-Day. He talked about being shell-shocked, and as a young girl, I thought he had a shell explode next to him. He would go into rages and tear up the house … and other things!
It wasn’t until he passed away at 62 years old — and I joined the American Legion Auxiliary — that I realized he suffered from PTSD that was never diagnosed or treated. This realization broke my heart.
As an ALA member, I learned about veterans’ issues and rehabilitation. And, I met other veterans who may have gone through similar things my father did after he returned home from war. All of this became my “why” and my passion to recognize and honor veterans, military, and their families.
Editor’s Note:
The American Legion Auxiliary is a community of volunteers serving veterans, military, and their families. Our mission statement:
In the spirit of Service Not Self, the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad. For God and country, we advocate for veterans, educate our citizens, mentor youth, and promote patriotism, good citizenship, peace, and security.
American Legion Auxiliary Blog 
Carole, thank you for sharing this, it so similarly matches my own story.
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Carole, thanks for sharing, PTSD is so often not recognized until to late. God Bless you and your family.
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Carole, thank you for sharing your story with the ALA family. Sorry to hear your father, suffered from this issue as did so many of our heros who fought for us. We are grateful for their service. God bless you & family.
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Carole, Sorry to hear your father suffered from PTSD. My father suffered as well and was never diagnosed. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you to all😊. I hope my story touched some of you as it was a catharsis for me 💥.
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Carole, thank you for this post!
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Carole thank you for your story. My father to served on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. My story is here on the blog too. I am a Auxilary member at Post 17. God Bless you and your family. For your husband’s service and for all the scarifies you both made. Sorry he suffered with PTSD.
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Thank you so so much for sharing this incredible post! Please feel encouraged to check out my recent blog post regarding PTSD awareness day (today, June 27th) or just the overall PTSD awareness month of June! Thank you❤️
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