Slowly but surely and one day at a time, Jared Myers is putting his life back together.

In November, the 25-year-old Lawrence man ended his active duty status as an Army Reservist. There are still some papers to be processed, but after eight years of service he is leaving the military.

A year ago, Myers, a decorated veteran of the Iraq war, had just finished a stay at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth where he received treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. Follow-up treatment continues.

“I’m doing a lot better,” Myers said during a recent interview. “Getting back to work keeps my mind off things. Now I can start planning for the next step and decide what I’ll be doing.”

Myers works as a floor supervisor at ZLB Plasma Services, 816 W. 24th St. He is thinking about pursuing a career as a firefighter and paramedic, something he thought about doing before the war. But it became a job that a year ago, considering what he’d been through in Iraq and his bout with PTSD, seemed out of reach.

Former army reservist Jared Myers, 25, Lawrence, pauses while talking about the past year dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and the improvements he has made since his experiences in Iraq. In 2002 Myers was injured when his Humvee was hit by a bomb that killed his captain and severely wounded another soldier.

“I’m feeling more comfortable about it,” said Myers, who was trained in the Army as a medic. “I know it will be a challenge.”

Nightmare in Iraq

In October 2003, Myers was a sergeant driving an unarmored Humvee to his base in Baquba, Iraq when it was struck by a roadside bomb. The blast killed his commander, Capt. John Teal, who was sitting in the seat next to him. It severely wounded Sgt. Chuck Bartles, also of Lawrence, who was riding in the back. Bartles’ arm had to be amputated.

Myers’ right arm required four pins to hold it together. Despite his wounds and the shock of what happened, he managed to drive the battered Humvee several miles to a medical aid station.

In August 2004, during a ceremony at Myers’ reserve center in Belton, Mo., he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor because of his actions that day in Iraq. It wasn’t evident at the time, but his emotional state had deteriorated. About two months later his mother, Judy Smith, found him in a state of emotional breakdown and took him to the veterans hospital. She said she knew something was wrong even before that.

“I’m glad she was there and picked up on some of the signs,” Myers said. “I would not have gotten help for myself.”

Road to recovery

After he left the hospital Myers spent most of last year working in a medical lab at Fort Riley. Although he initially was supposed to be relieved of active duty in May, the Army kept him on until November. Even with his medical problems, that is not unusual during a time of war, Myers said. He said his commanders and fellow reservists were supportive of his recovery efforts.

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Myers will be attending a group therapy session with other veterans at Leavenworth. Most of the others are Vietnam veterans, he said.

“They probably know more about this than I do,” he said.

There are a few friends from his reserve unit, the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, who are back in Iraq for the second time. He keeps track of them and now watches a little bit of the war news on television.

Myers also has become a father. He has a 10-month-old son. Although he is not married, he and the mother are helping each other raise the child.

“I think he is the big thing that has helped me,” he said of his son. “I think that is the best therapy I’ve gotten since I’ve been injured.”