CopperSun

CopperSun recounts the life-long struggle of Eddie Wilkes, a Navy Special Operations veteran, to overcome the debilitating effects of PTSD which was triggered by the dangerous missions he carried out in North Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. He survived two combat tours as the point man of a elite covert snatch-and-grab team. He witnessed the deaths of his comrades and Eddie himself killed several enemy combatants at close range. Although he was wounded by enemy rifle fire, his more enduring injury was psychological. The brutality and secrecy of his missions combined to create an even more relentless enemy than he had faced in combat: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The story of Eddie's suffering will be familiar to war veterans and others who are experiencing PTSD. Unfortunately, not very many of these sufferers are aware of the resources available to them which could help them recover and start to lead normal lives. Eddie's nightmares continued for five decades until he finally found relief in the form of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. This psychotherapy treatment is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. For Eddie, the success of the treatments meant the end of his nightmares.