This week on Wellbeing we talk with Bobby Henline, a comedian and Iraq veteran with PTSD. Bobby enlisted in the United States Army in 1989 aged 17 and served in Operation Desert Storm in The Gulf War. It was here that PTSD first became a part of Bobby's life. After his service Bobby Henline lived the life of civilian until he re-enlisted following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. It was one day in 2007 during his fourth and last tour of Iraq that Bobby suffered burns to almost 40% of his body when his Humvee was blown up by a roadside bomb. Bobby was the only survivor. Bobby's PTSD started to become more severe following the attack, but he has been able to manage it. Following his physical recovery, Bobby became a comedian in 2009 and his comedy is based around his service and features self-deprecating humour on his physical injuries.  

In this episode, Bobby talks about his service in the both the Gulf and Iraq War, the wartime experiences he had while there, the roadside bomb incident which changed his life forever, how his war experiences affected him in the form of PTSD on his return, how his PTSD affected his relationships, his journey to getting help, how his comedy played a role in his healing journey and where he is at today in his PTSD.  

"The mental injures are the toughest. The physical ones you figure out how to do it, you know how do I stuff with one hand, how do I do this where my eyes don't close or I gotta be  careful because of the skin grafts and the sun. That you just figure out. The mental part is the hardest." - Bobby Henline on this episode of Wellbeing 

Tune in next week when we speak with 9/11 survivor Will Jimeno about his PTSD journey following the September 11th attacks. 

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Hosted and Produced by Jack Hodgins  
Wellbeing website: https://www.2nurfm.com.au/wellbeing 

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