WASHINGTON – Retired Marine Lieutenant Mike Scotti was a warrior on the battlefield, but conquering PTSD was his hardest battle and it almost took his life.

In 2004, eight months after Scotti returned to the U.S., he was living alone in New York. That’s when he says everything unraveled. One morning, he woke up with bloody knuckles from a fight the night before.

“For me it was the rage, boozing a lot and fighting,” he says. “It was a tough time for me.”

That’s when he knew he needed help.

Scotti says he’s managed to overcome his adversity and has written a book about the experience called “The Blue Cascade: A Memoir of Life After War”, which was published in May.

Scotti wants others to know that it’s OK to not be OK.

“If you can help even one person who’s struggling alone and silently, it’s absolutely worth it,” he says

Scotti is also the subject of “Severe Clear,” an award-winning documentary which he also co-produced and narrated.

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