INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- An Independence woman said her husband abandoned his family before the war and when he came back, he got a new wife and baby and a new life.

Marcella Rivera found out about her husband William Rivera’s possible bigamy in an unusual way. Her mother saw him on a Valentine's Day television special last year, marrying another woman. Rivera said she was floored, because he was still married to her.

"I don't think he should get away with it," said Marchella Rivera.

But he may have done just that.

Rivera found out Friday that the criminal bigamy charges against her husband were dropped. She said his attorney stated that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition he suffered after his military tour in Iraq. Rivera said he didn't remember still being married to her and thought they were divorced.

"I guess if I truly believe in my heart that he didn't know, then OK, yes, he has PTSD and he didn't know; Iraq totally messed him up. But I know he knew he was married, because we had discussed it," she said.

Rivera said she filed for divorce before his second marriage, but they dismissed the case and were going to reconcile for the sake of the five children they have together.

Then he married another woman.

"There are real soldiers suffering from PTSD and he's using that as a crutch," said Marcella Rivera.

Claude Guidry of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center said there are a number of criteria that soldiers must meet before a doctor can diagnose PTSD, and memory loss is among that criteria.

"The memory issue is very hard to untangle, because it could be involved with other medical issues," said Guidry, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom coordinator at the medical center.

Socially, soldiers who suffer from PTSD experience nightmares, irritability and usually cannot work or interact with people, said Guidry.

"When they get back from the war zone, they will not respond emotionally the way others respond," he said.

Marcella Rivera said it has also affected her and her children emotionally. Currently, her husband is legally married to two women, until one of them gets a divorce.

"That's what gets me, that he got over on the system. And I don't think that's right," she said.

Although the criminal bigamy suit has been dismissed, Marcella Rivera said she is trying to file a civil suit. But with little money, she said it is hard to find an attorney willing to take the case.

KCTV5 News tried to contact William Rivera through his attorney, but have not gotten a reply.