The following is a slight modification of the piece I ran on Memorial Day:
This Veterans Day:
Our men and women are returning from two wars. They have witnessed things and felt things that those of us who stayed home have no clue. Their brains have been overwhelmed, their psychic beings shaken to the core.
This Veterans Day:
Our soldiers may leave the battlefield, but they cannot leave their memories there. Very high percentages are returning home with PTSD, depression, and other mental illnesses. Even those without full-blown symptoms have issues to deal with. Others are ticking time bombs. Suicide will claim more of them than enemy gunfire. Many will attempt to cope by turning to alcohol and drugs.
This Veterans Day:
Many brave men and women have no clue what is about to happen to them. They served as heroes, but, like many who served in Vietnam, may wind up homeless. They may be remembered for their bravery, but we will cross the street to avoid them.
This Veterans Day:
It's not just about flags on graves. It's about serving the people who served our country.
This Veterans Day:
Resolve to do something tangible. Advocate. Donate. Get involved with one of the veteran's organizations. Get involved with a mental health group making an outreach to veterans. Do something. Then keep doing it.
This Veterans Day:
It's our turn now.
***
From Therese Borchard's Beyond Blue:
- Almost one in three veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq confront mental health problems.
- On an average day in this country, suicide claims another 18 veterans.
- Approximately 30 percent of veterans treated in the veterans health system suffer from depressive symptoms, two to three times the rate of the general population.
- More Vietnam veterans have now died from suicide than were killed directly during the war.
- Approximately 40 percent of homeless veterans have mental illnesses.
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3 comments:
My sister's first husband had PTSD/bipolar disorder, and I didn't even know it until after he was dead. He served with pride in the Marine Corps, and did 2 tours in Vietnam, but now I know the roots of his afflictions started long before he thought of enlisting in the military or heard of a troubled country called Vietnam. For years we were convinced that his main problem was alcoholism, but he was self-medicating. Now that I'm a retired Army veteran, I am determined to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families. One of my core values is that HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE! Our military has not been acting responsibly by denying that a problem exists and dumping service members on the rest of society without adequately preparing them for re-entry into civilian life. As a volunteer for DBSA and VA, I have been working with fellow veterans with PTSD and other issues, and find great satisfaction in connecting with and educating them about what's going on.
Hey, Charles. Your words are very encouraging. Can you inform my readers how we can help?
One of the biggest challenges we have is reaching out to the active-duty military population. They are worried about being stigmatized, losing rank or any hope of promotion, or even being unceremoniously drummed out of the service altogether. And yet, like any other chronic illness, I believe the sooner we can start treatment, the better the prognosis. I have the vision of a "Synergy Center," a house of wellness where veterans (even those who don't qualify for VA benefits), civilians, and "normal" people can come together in a common cause. In addition to being a one-stop treatment mall, it would also be a meeting place for civic-minded individuals to organize various projects for the public good. We can't rely on government to do these things for us, especially in an era of tight budgets, and mental health in particular has never been chic, so joint ventures and collaboratives are the way to go.
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