It was somewhat unexpected. In the middle of his highly publicized trip to Germany this morning, President Obama got personal.

"Because my great uncle, my grandmother's brother, was part of the unit that first liberated Buchenwahl," said the president this morning.

But for some, what may be an unexpected anecdote, for others may be much needed recognition. Because while it's a disease that's plagued many for generations, it's only recently been brought out into the open.

"He suffered what we now know, what we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

Over twelve-hundred veterans in Illinois alone suffer from P.T.S.D.,
and while treatment for it is at an all time high, experts say, for many returned from duty, it's still vastly under diagnosed.

"Oftentimes, they're in denial and don't want to seek help. They feel like if they ask for help, that they're weak," said Kathy Thomas, clinical social worker for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Thomas says more than anything, families of veterans can make a difference in getting their loved ones' the right treatment, and many local parents of military men and women, like Patti Smith, are working hard to get the word out.

"It's just a different type of wounding. It's an emotional and psychological wounding, and we wouldn't neglect the physical wounds of our veterans. We don't want to neglect these wounds either," said Smith.

It's a different type of wound that, for many, continues to bring the battle way too close to home.