The lasting toll of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan [Video]

This week, Scott Pelley reported on the families who held the home front while their spouses, fathers and mothers fought in the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

About 600,000 American veterans have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Symptoms can include anxiety, fear, irritability, and depression.

Through their reporting for this week’s story, Scott Pelley and the 60 Minutes team found some symptoms of PTSD are, in a sense, contagious: some family members living with veterans who have been diagnosed, like children and spouses, often experience similar symptoms, such as anxiety and depression. 

One of the courageous families that shared their story with 60 Minutes was the Rotenberry family. 

Chuck Rotenberry was a Marine who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. During his second deployment, Rotenberry recalls being on a patrol when a fellow Marine stepped on an IED, gravely wounding the soldier, and sending Rotenberry 20 feet, knocking him out. Rotenberry remembers …