“Brannan Vines has never been to war”

• A women named Brannen Vines, the women who this article is about has never been in combat between 2 countries
• The author is giving us background information on this women
• This is a factual claim, we can prove that she has never fought in war

“He’s one of 103,200, or 228,875, or 336,000 Americans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and came back with PTSD”

• This is a numerical claim, but is also a factual claim
• The author is pointing out that her husband is one of the many that suffer from this awful disease

“And as slippery as all that is, even less understood is the collateral damage, to families, to schools, to society—emotional and fiscal costs borne long after the war is over.”

• The author is painting the picture of the toll it takes not just on the person and their family, but on the people around them
• This is an ethical claim because it shows just how bad this can affect everyone, even years after the war is over.
• This can be interpreted that even though people come home from the war its like they can never really escape it.

“And it is dark outside, and the electricity is out. Imagine your nervous system spiking, readying you as you feel your way along the walls, the sensitivity of your hearing, the tautness in your muscles, the alertness shooting around inside your skull.”

• This is an analogy claim, comparing what it’s like to be in the mind of someone with PTSD.
• The author is trying to show that at any moment, even when you’re just in your house you can feel a sense of uncertainty and become very afraid.
• This is based on Brannan and what her symptoms are at times

“Caleb has been home since 2006, way more than enough time for Brannan to catch his symptoms”

• This is a factual claim, you can prove that Caleb has been home from the war since then
• The author is trying to show that PTSD is not something that has to take a while to contract, once exposed it is very easy to get
• In this case Brannan has been around her husband for quite sometime and has started to get the disease

“after making sure she’s at least an arm’s length away in case he wakes up swinging”

• This shows how it affects not only their mental state, but their physical life too. 
• Brannan sleeps an arms length away from Caleb just in case he lashes out in the middle of the night
• This is a evaluative claim, that because people go through this they have to take precocious judgement for their safety.