Many times our soldiers have come home from war, and they are thinking, "now what?" They have left their families, their jobs, their friends, and their environment for extended periods of time, and now, everything is different. Life has changed. Their feelings have changed. Their relationships have changed. They have changed.
As soldiers come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the military hospitals try to help with the physical wounds, but the soldiers are left with dealing with the mental wounds. No one will ever be able to imagine the horrendous thought that linger from the images that are now permanently burned into their very being. How can they go on when they awake at night in a sweat, seeing and hearing bullets flying overhead? How can they go into the office when they have to pass by the cubicle that their best friend once occupied, knowing they will be coming home from the war in a box?
Many of the most common wounds aren't seen until soldiers return home. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an often-debilitating mental condition that can produce a range of unwanted emotional responses to the trauma of combat. It can emerge weeks, months or years later. If left untreated, it can severely affect the lives not only of veterans, but their families as well. See USA TODAY.
Many websites as well as news anchors have dedicated time to discussing this issue. One thing to help these soldiers as they return home from war is to remember that they may not be comfortable or ready to talk about everything that happened while they were in Iraq. Don't overwhelm them with questions that they may not be ready to talk about with anyone yet.
Re-entry in to the job world may be difficult as well. Previous employers may still have a job waiting, but the responsibilities and skills needed to do the job
may have changed. The returning veteran will have to make a commitment to be patient, to be willing to “work” at moving beyond military life, and to remember that family and work will be different than they were prior to military deployment. See transitioning document.
Veterans can be assured that they are loved, admired, and appreciated. Show a veteran lots of love today.
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I really like this post. I think it is important for all to acknowledge the severity of PTSD. Many returning from war, especially those that suffer from PTSD, don't have close companions that understand what they are going through and it is significant for all to be educated on the effects PTSD can have on their lives.
ReplyDeleteAlso, ensure to proofread your writing. There is a spelling error in paragraph 4. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your insight.
This is a great, detailed introduction to your topic of returning soldiers, PTSD, and reintroduction to society. I'm definitely looking forward to learning a lot from you! Remember to remind me to show you a previous student blog that we had that discussed Walter Reed and conditions there at length...
ReplyDeleteI would love to see the commentary regarding the conditios there. Especially since I am a veteran!
ReplyDelete