A De Pere Native, now based in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, is a finalist for Military Spouse of the Year.
She isn't using the nomination to gain a title, but to raise awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Pam Larson, a purple heart war veteran, is leading the battle against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
It all in started in 2006 when her husband, Robert, suffered a category three concussion in an explosion on duty in Iraq.
During a later deployment, Pam noticed changes in Robert.
"I watched over the months. The phone calls got so few and far between. He actually went an entire month without even realizing he hadn't called home," said Pam.
Robert started having mood swings was diagnosed with PTSD in 2009.
He was improving but went off his medication, without Pam knowing, and went missing for eight days in October of last year.
Pam used Facebook to lead a nationwide search for him.
"They did aerial search parties. They had guys running through the woods in four wheelers. They had jeep off road groups going through different areas in off road parts and nobody could find anything," said Pam.
Robert was in a psychiatric unit for five days and put back on medication.
He attempted suicide a short time later.
He still has severe mood swings, but Pam says he's doing much better.
She was nominated for Military Spouse of the Year through Military Spouse magazine for her work to raise awareness for PTSD and help others.
"We all react so differently. We need to talk about what could be a trigger or how a person could react so that when it does happen, it's something the spouses can recognize," said Pam.
The Military Spouse of the Year will be announced in Washington D.C. on May 9.
