WILLIAMS, Arizona—U.S. Army veteran Rick Northrop and Juanita Hendrix had been dating for only a few weeks when they decided to go on a day trip together in northern Arizona.
Like all new couples, they were still getting to know each other. A leisurely drive among the ponderosa pine forests seemed perfect for doing just that.
Then, without warning, Northrop fell silent in the middle of a conversation, clutching the steering wheel.
Hendrix knew something was wrong.
Elaina Galvan (L) her husband, U.S. Army veteran Romel Armendariz, Tom West, co-founder of Operation: Transition Outside The Wire (C), Army veteran Rick Northrop, and girlfriend Juanita Hendrix (R) talk about the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on veterans and their families in Williams, Ariz., on Jan. 16, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)
And then, just like that, Northrop burst into tears—uncontrollable sobs that left his girlfriend speechless….