Supporting those that serve our country

Veteran’s Day 2013

On Veteran’s Day , my mind turns to the men and women that have dedicated their lives to protect the United States. In my own family, the tradition of serving in the military goes back through the generations. There is a pride in knowing that these men, from my grandfather in WWII to my nephew serving in Afghanistan, were willing to fight to protect the freedoms that we Americans enjoy.

Being a veteran these days, coming from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, is different than being a veteran from WWII. Because of the advancements in technology in protective gear, soldiers survive combat situations that would have killed them in past wars. They come home unscarred physically, but often have endured more than their predecessors simply because of advanced body armor. The rise in deployments per soldier since 911 has caused more mental, emotional and physical scars that, upon return to the states, leave the soldier less able to mange the difficult transition.

The common terms we hear when the media speaks of veteran’s issues are PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and TBI (traumatic brain injury). We also hear about the high suicide rates both stateside and on bases in other countries. Soldiers coming back also suffer from depression, alcoholism and drug addiction.

All of these terms don’t describe the actual experience of returning veterans. When a soldier is deployed, he or she is going into a situation they cannot control. They have others they are going with that they spend all of their time with and they understand each other. They have the same experience.

When soldiers come back, they re-enter the world they left as a different person. I have heard it described as going to the moon, living on the moon, coming home to Earth but not being able to talk about being on the moon. And mostly they don’t want to talk about it, unless it is with their fellow soldiers.

So there is a disconnect from others, even close family members and partners or spouses. If you add to this experience a combat situation in which a fellow soldier is killed, or an IED blast that has taken out his or her vehicle, or has left someone maimed, the feeling of devastation can feel insurmountable. There is also the common experience of survivor’s guilt and often a feeling that they could have or should have done something to prevent another’s harm or death. They may know logically that this was not the case, but the feeling persists and often soldiers will dream of these experiences over and over. This is one common symptom of PTSD or PTS, which is a better term.

Coming back to the states after these experiences is a mixed bag. Soldiers want to come home, naturally. But they also go from having a definite purpose, whatever their M.O.S. was, to a much less important, civilian reality. Many soldiers, after being back stateside for a while, want to go back to the combat zone, back to the feeling of having that purpose again. The other aspect of it is the constant state of high alert that is necessary when deployed. That does not turn off when a soldier comes home. Hypervigilance is another hallmark of PTS. Many soldiers try to calm themselves or take the edge off with alcohol, lots of it. This may work in the short term but causes lots of problems as well, both short and long term.

When people say they want to support the troops, my suggestion is to really make an attempt to understand that it is not easy to transition when a soldier has been deployed once, twice, three or even more times.

My next suggestion would be to stay close (without crowding) even if the soldier seems to distance him or herself from his friends and family upon return.

I would urge you to employ a veteran, if you have a business. Make it a priority to attract veterans to work for your company. They are highly skilled, technical, tactical thinkers and make the best employees.

If you notice something awry in a veteran you know, get out of your comfort zone and talk with them, ask them how they are doing and if they want to go do something or talk or just hang out. One big thing that is missing when a soldier comes home is the camaraderie of the unit. Friendship is important.

For me, I feel that their service is a debt that we can never repay. I ask you, on this Veteran’s Day, to remember the veterans in your life, in your town and thank them for their service. Our freedoms remain because of men and women like them now, and since our country was founded.