When the War Follows You Home
The battlefield can end while the consequences continue unfolding for years.
Justin Morseth recounts serving as an infantry officer with the 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 Iraq invasion. He describes the sandstorm that stalled their advance, the losses suffered before reaching the enemy, and the crossing at Objective Peach under artillery fire, heavy smoke, and confusion.
Returning home brought a different struggle. Everyday civilian concerns felt difficult to understand, while memories of the invasion followed Justin into his career, marriage, and the birth of his first son. He explains how moral injury differed from the way he understood PTSD, especially as he considered the lives lost on both sides of the war.
Justin also shares his experience with traumatic brain injury, seizures, and medical care. He recounts being dismissed as a drunk by a VA neurologist before his wife helped him obtain further testing that, according to Justin, showed damage to his brain.
Treatment at After the Impact and prolonged exposure therapy with Dr. Heidi Knox pushed him to stop hiding behind anger and self-protection. Justin credits his willingness to become vulnerable with helping him reconnect with the person he wanted to be.
That experience now informs his work with Pets Healing Vets. Created by his wife, Megan, the program works with the Hamilton County Humane Society to match veterans with shelter animals while covering food, veterinary care, and other expenses throughout the animal’s life. Justin shares how one pit bull named Princess spent seven years in a shelter before being paired with a veteran who was also struggling.
The moments below follow Justin’s path from Objective Peach through moral injury, medical setbacks, vulnerability, and a new mission supporting veterans and shelter animals.
Timestamps:
- 00:17:24 – Crossing Objective Peach Under Fire
- 00:23:22 – The Moral Injury Left Behind
- 00:25:01 – His Son Is Born and Trauma Surfaces
- 00:37:40 – Dismissed During a Medical Crisis
- 00:48:19 – Saving Lives at Both Ends of the Leash
Links & Resources
- Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1
- Follow on Facebook: https://facebook.com/justin.morseth
- https://facebook.com/flagsandfootballs
- Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbone1531
- Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-morseth