Two tours in Iraq take tragic toll on ex-Marine

Francis Beliles drowned the memories of two tours in Iraq with alcohol, his mother said.

The warzone took a toll on his health. First his legs succumbed to nerve damage and then his organs failed one at a time until he needed a ventilator to live.

Last Thursday, the 36-year-old former Marine from Margate was taken off life support at Northwest Medical Center, and will be buried Monday. His father, William Beliles, a former Marine, died in June at age 57.

Beliles’ story is all too familiar for clinicians who counsel veterans saddled with the invisible wounds of war.

“PTSD and alcohol-use problems are often found together,” states the Department of Veteran’s Affairs website. “This pairing can be big trouble for the trauma survivor and his or her family.”

Beliles graduated from high school in Rittman, Ohio, in 1999 and his family moved to South Florida the same year. He went into the Marines soon after and served until 2005, during the time that the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq and overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein.

“About five years ago, the alcohol caught up to him and he just started to deteriorate from there,” said Yvonne Beliles, his mother.

“This has been a very tough year on us, with the death of my husband and then the death of my son,” she said. “I’m trying to keep it together for my other two sons, but it is very tough most of the time. I’m struggling financially and don’t know what to do.”

Francis Beliles brothers are Jeffrey, 32, and Michael, 29.

The Bailey Memorial funeral home at 6701 W. Commercial Blvd. in Tamarac is providing the viewing service today for Beliles free of charge, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., and burial will be on Monday at 2:15 p.m. at the South Florida National Cemetery at 6501 State Road 7 in Lake Worth.

BELILES FAMILY/COURTESY Francis Beliles, of Margate, died Thursday from organ failure. His mother said he used alcohol to cope with PTSD.