One of the struggles that military veterans face during life after service is mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder. It is difficult for spouses and children to understand the side effects of such mental disorders.
This is the very problem that Army veteran Seth Kastle faced upon returning home after 16 years of active duty in Qatar, Afghanistan and Iraq. To help his wife and 6-year-old daughter, Raegan, understand what he is going through, he wrote a children's book called "Why is Dad So Mad?"
No matter what, there is love
Kastle's story explains the anger and memory issues that he experiences due to his PTSD. He told NBC News that he decided to write the book after he searched for resources to assist him in communicating his illness to his family and found very few options available.
After writing the story, he started a Kickstarter fundraiser to get the book illustrated and published. In just eight hours, the campaign achieved its goal of $3,000, eventually reaching $6,000. He was able to hire illustrator Karissa Gonzalez-Othon and designer Lyndsey Dugan to help him get the book ready for publishing.
The plot includes a family of lions, whose father is experiencing PTSD. Kastle uses a powerful metaphor to describe how his symptoms feel, in which the father lion has a fire that he cannot control burning in his chest. This made it possible for Raegan to understand that although it may be challenging for her father to show it at times, he always loves her and is happy to be home.
"No matter what, when they're mad or sad at you, they still love you," Raegan told NBC News as she read the book in her playroom. "There's always a fire in his heart, but no matter what, I know there's love."
A powerful resource for military families
PTSD is one of the most common conditions experienced by veterans and can have a major impact on the general well-being of those affected and their families. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, up to 20 percent of veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD within the first year of returning from deployment in Iraq. Past wars have seen even higher numbers, including the Vietnam War, where 30 percent of active duty members experienced the condition.
The Huffington Post noted that Kastle wrote the book for his family, but hopes that it will eventually gain enough popularity to help retired military servicemembers across the nation with PTSD explain the condition to their loved ones.
"I hope that other military families have a chance to sit down and explain to their kids that it's not always going to be easy, but they'll get through it," Kastle explained to NBC News.
Kastle is currently using the extra funds donated to his first story for a new book that focuses on helping veteran mothers with PTSD.