Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

A new wing at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cheyenne, WY called the Psycho-social Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP). In awareness of problems from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the trained personnel in this unit work hard to re-center the focus of those returning from combat to being able to deal with civilian life.

Many of those coming back from combat face very difficult adjustments. They have lived in an environment of extreme stress. In current combat, there is no front line. All personnel should expect to suit up for patrol activities including clerical personnel, cooks, drivers, tankers, and mechanics. Incoming rocket fire, improvised explosive devices, our own soldiers making mistakes, and political correctness all plague efforts. The best comfort deployed personnel have is those fighting along side them. The closeness lasts a lifetime

When a soldier (Airman, Soldier, Marine, or Sailor) redeploys, his/her world changes dramatically. Sometimes, the best way to cope is from self-medication.

Zachary Zenefski (Zach) is a Cheyenne, WY native. He is a 26 year old soldier who was assigned to the fabled 82nd Airborne Infantry Division. He came from a family having lots of military members in several generations.

Zach headed for Florida to attend college but after a semester, found out that he wasn’t ready for it. He enlisted in the US Army! Rather soon, he was on his way to Fort Benning, GA, Home of the Infantry! “Hoo-aah!”

Zach’s enlistment was somewhat different from the outset. He became a soldier in One Station Unit Training (OSUT). This training concept was introduced to allow continuous training in certain military occupational specialties. If a young man was recruited into the Army, he would be offered a field to specialize in. If he wanted into the military police, combat engineers, or the infantry, he would go through the entire training phase at the same training base. Training in two phases could last eight weeks in basic then on to advanced training for another eight to fourteen weeks. OSUT usually lasted fourteen weeks. Here, their Drill Sergeants worked hard to train the new people, knowing they would be deploying to a theater of war soon.

Zach liked the training and found it interesting. In the allotted time, graduation came along. Zach’s parents attended the event – from Wyoming! Immediately following graduation, airborne training began, at Fort Benning, GA. “Jump School”

Zach said the airborne phase was “cake” compared to what they had already been through. In that he and others were already in top physical condition, it goes just fine.

Completion of Jump School is a big deal! Not only can the students jump out of perfectly good airplanes, they qualify for additional jump pay and wear a distinctive patch on their uniform.

Zach was assigned to the 18th Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, 4th Combat Brigade (4th BCT). The 82nd Airborne claims Fort Bragg, North Carolina as its home base. The 4th BCT was set to deploy to Afghanistan within a few months. Zach was back in training, this time, much more intense.

The 4th BCT deployed to southern Afghanistan. They linked up with a Marine Special Operations Unit (MARSOC). The two elements performed combat operations in the area about 70 miles southwest of Kandahar, AF.

They took over the ending part of Operation Thunder. Life here meant sleeping under the stars, eating Meals Ready to Eat and conducting dismounted patrols. Their mission was to rid the villages in the area of the Taliban. This work is dangerous and constant. The men on the patrols numbered about 35 to 40 guys. There were casualties.

At times, the soldiers would get into a village and buy some live chickens from a local merchant. The men would wring the bird’s neck, boil off the feathers, and roast the critters for fresh meat.

In one instance, the men combined their money and bought a goat from a local person. After preparing the critter for cooking in fire, the men joined and ate their allotted amount. That evening, a night patrol was planned and every soldier who ate the goat meat fell victim to dysentery. The mission went on, but it was “ugly”.

The leaders would call a halt to operations so that the men could get re-supplied. The site for rest and more equipment, food and ammunition also had satellite phones. Zach called home on the available phones. At one point, as he talked to his mother, a fire-fight broke out. He said his mom “freaked out” when she heard all the gunfire. There was one computer available for guys to send an email or two… this was a busy place.

Toward the years’ end of the first deployment, Zach and others in the unit got orders to go on to the 172nd Infantry Regiment at Grafenwoehr, Germany. After arriving in Germany, Zach found out the unit was going to deploy to Afghanistan in six months! Back to intense training!

On the second deployment, the men were sent to southeastern Afghanistan. This was a rough mountainous area. (American hero Pat Tillman lost his life in this area.) There were no roads into or out of the area. Troops were “choppered in”. They always conducted dismounted patrols. To move ahead, there were many mountains to climb. The site was just a few hundred meters from Pakistan.

Getting to the fight here involved manually carrying everything the men would need. Zach was promoted to Sergeant here. He was the point man on many of the missions. The enemy they pursued was not easy to pin down. The enemy force also put explosive devices at the top of the mountains the soldiers climbed. When they got the relief of making the climb, they had to be very cautious of trip wires that led to things that could destroy them.

This deployment would last a year. At the end, Zach had a choice to make. After offering him a higher rank, Zach knew the Army wanted him to stay. Zach decided to take advantage of the GI Bill. He left the Army and is taking college classes at the University of Wyoming.

Zach was knocked out a few times which resulted in traumatic brain injury. Once was as he was a passenger in a vehicle that rolled, scrambling the personnel inside. Another was from a rocket-propelled grenade hitting way too close to him. One of the ways to deal with all that is by self-medicating.

Upon getting out, Zach had horrible nightmares, most of them being very vivid. PTSD symptoms appeared when certain music is played. Some sounds are similar to bullets flashing by one’s head. Loud sounds would also be triggers. Dang, people…

Zach earned the Combat Infantry Badge, Jump Wings, the Army Commendation Medal, The Army Achievement Medal, OIF/OEF deployed and domestic service medals, the Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service medals and Good Conduct Medal. He also earned the Expert Rifle Marksmanship Badge.

Zach will return to studying mechanical engineering soon. He is a trained, skilled warrior. Thank you for your service Sergeant Zenefski!