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Ashley Wise noticed that her husband was experiencing flashbacks of war after he returned from his second tour of Iraq.
As Rob Wise's mental health deteriorated his wife urged him to seek help and, after knock-backs from counsellors dismissing his condition, he was finally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Having to battle to get a diagnosis on top of the pain of witnessing both her husband and other soldiers at Kentucky's Fort Campbell suffer from PTSD, which sometimes resulting in them committing suicide, made Wise take action.
Desperate to raise awareness about PTSD, banish any stigma surrounding it, and draw attention to the increasing suicide rates in the military Wise decided one way of getting the message across was to strip off.
After coming up with the awareness idea Wise constructed a pledge: 'Broken by battle, wounded by war, my love is FOREVER – to you this I SWORE. I WILL: Quiet your silent screams, Help heal your shattered soul, Until once again, my love, YOU ARE WHOLE! Battle bare.'
Wise posted her first awareness photo on Facebook and Battling Bare was born. The poignant picture shows her with the emotional poem plastered across her bare back as she holds her husband’s M4 above her head.
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