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[My wife] knew that I went through a lot in the war...

Albert M. Perna, US Army 1942 - 1945, talks about how his PTSD affected his loved ones.

Transcript

I guess that affected my family in a way that,

my wife was a very understanding woman,

and she knew that, you know, I went through a lot in the war.

Most of the times, when it used to surface was at the time

when I used to go to bed, and I began to figure something

in my dreams, and I would begin to perspire -- like, water

used to run off my back -- and the sheets would get soaking wet.

And she would wake up in the middle of the night and say,

"Al, I have to change sheets."

And so then at that time, I would then go to sleep

on the floor beside her so that I wouldn't disturb her

because I knew that...

You see, my wife became pregnant within a couple of months

after we were married, and I didn't want anything

to happen to my newborn, Pattie.

So, that's the only way I was able to...

That's what affected her most, but she never said anything,

and we never spoke about it any more,

but this is the way that it affected her.

So she was very understanding as far as knowing that,

you know, what I went through in a war.

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