Ex-Marine Vanishes After Combat 'Flashback'

Feb. 11, 2008— -- Relatives and volunteers -- some members of the military -- continued searching in Florida today for a former Marine who has been missing for a week and who may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Officials say 24-year-old Eric Hall took off on his motorcycle after experiencing what his family called a "combat flashback."

The bike was later found in the middle of a roadway in Deep Creek, near Fort Myers, on Florida's west coast. It was lying on its side with the engine running. There was no sign of Hall.

Hall, who was seriously injured three years ago in a bomb blast in Iraq, had recently moved from Indiana to Florida. He was staying with relatives on Sunday, Feb. 3, when he began "having flashbacks and walking around the home acting like he is shooting an invisible gun at people that are not in the home," according to a release by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

"He had an imaginary weapon in his hand shooting imaginary people in the house," said Bob Carpenter, a Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

A small fire was burning near the motorcycle, but authorities were not able to determine whether it was connected to the mysterious disappearance.

For two days last week, the sheriff's office led a search of the surrounding area for any sign of the former Marine. Deputies on horseback, K-9 units and swamp buggies combed what Carpenter described as a thickly covered area on the Gulf side of Florida.

The search also included helicopters, which Carpenter said were flown low over the area to produce an effect similar to a combat rescue.

"He could be hiding anywhere," Carpenter said. "He could have just taken off."

The ex-Marine suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from the bomb blast, his aunt and family spokesman Marge Baker told ABC News. The June 2005 explosion killed a fellow Marine and injured Hall's right arm, left leg, hip and the left side of his abdomen.

His injuries were so severe that he spent 13 weeks in military hospitals in Germany and Bethesda, Md. He has undergone nearly 20 operations since the explosion and was left with a permanent limp, Baker said. Hall was granted a medical retirement by the U.S. Marine Corps.