AUSTIN, Texas — The Fourth of July is a day for celebrating the U.S.'s independence, but for some who fought to uphold that independence, it can be quite the opposite.
"Fireworks are just a bit of a trigger," said Cpt. Molly Mae Potter.
While fighting in Afghanistan in 2010, Air Force Cpt. Potter received a severe brain injury.
"The blast of the rocket landed behind me and the blast knocked me over and I became unconscious," said Potter.
She witnessed a lot of death on the battlefield as well.
"I do a lot of work to manage night terrors and flashbacks through active therapy, you know, some medication," said Potter.
On nights like the Fourth of July, fireworks sound reminiscent of war and force her to take extra steps to keep her post-traumatic stress disorder under control.
"So I go to bed early, before dark," said Potter. "I put on noise-canceling headsets, Netflix really loud. Sometimes it takes a little bit of Nyquil to knock me out."
She is doing the best she can to get through the night.
"Some people will start in panic attacks, heavy breathing, sweating starts shaking," said Potter. "For me, I just get really uncomfortable and start remembering bad things."
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, anywhere from about 11% to 20% of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan returned with PTSD.
So if you plan to continue to pop fireworks beyond Monday night and beyond, Potter said that giving your vet neighbor a heads-up would be great.
"It's sometimes the unknown," said Potter. "When you least expect it, that can be a big trigger. So at least letting them know what timeframe is kind of nice."
In the meantime, Potter said she will focus on the positive.
"I'm very happy that I'm here and I've got a wonderful family," said Potter. "Many of my friends that are buried in Arlington are not able to celebrate those days, so I try to remember them the best that I can."
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