Past Friend Speaks Up About Serving with 1st Sgt. Joshua P. Eisenhauer

Friends of 1st Sgt. Joshua Eisenhauer, more commonly known as 'Ike' to his buddies, have reached out to him during this tragic time to show support but opted not to speculate beyond who they knew him to be - a good person who did not get the help from the Army that he sought after.

Luis Moreira met Ike back in 2007 at Fort Bragg and considers him to be a good friend that he served with. They deployed together to Afghanistan for 15 months and even lived together as roommates before deploying again together for another 12 months.

"He had some serious PTSD issues and his unit did not pay much attention to it," said Moreira. "Around one year ago he was transferred to the warrior transition battalion and it seemed like they had him going around in circles."

Last Wednesday Michelle Obama announced an initiative that will affect veterans and increase awareness as part of the existing initiative, Joining Forces. It will include three North Carolina schools, the Wake Forest School of Medicine, the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine that will further research and study post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries that affect a multitude of service members.

According to a Fayetteville Observer report last week, the Rand Corp. think tank estimated that 300,000 veterans of both conflicts suffered PTSD or major depression. Fewer than half had sought treatment for PTSD over the preceding year and nearly 60 percent of those reporting a probable brain injury weren't evaluated by a physician for one.

"I have always been worried about Ike but I never thought he would have done something like this," said Moreira. "Ike loved the Army but I don't think he was happy with the way he was being treated. I know he has a tough road ahead of him however, I'm glad that he is alive."

Moreira currently resides and is assigned in Texas.