According to the Web site www.ptsd.factsforhealth.org, signs of PTSD include trouble sleeping and concentrating, frequently feeling "on guard," having exaggerated "startle" responses, angry outbursts and avoidance of people or places because they bring back memories of painful events.

In Utah, Bart Davis, a transition assistance adviser for the state, has helped many military members with PTSD. He told the Deseret Morning News for a recent article that help for PTSD is simply a referral away.

"If you walked in here right now as a combat vet and I can see your eyes are glassy, you just hit a child or put your hand through a window, I could have you in counseling by 4 o'clock," Davis said during a morning interview. But there is a stigma with seeking help, he added, and veterans who are taught to be self-reliant or who can't get past the "warrior" mentality may keep their PTSD to themselves.

If vets do want help for PTSD, the VA has a medical center in Salt Lake City and smaller veteran centers in Salt Lake City and Provo. Schow said he has contacted Utah's congressional leaders for help in getting a vet center in Ogden to help about 40,000 vets in neighboring counties who must drive into Salt Lake City for help through the VA. Schow also acknowledged a need for a center in southern Utah.

There is also help through nonprofit groups like the Wounded Warrior Project, which has been in Park City this past week at the National Ability Center, helping about 20 veterans work through their PTSD.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com