Vets Struggle In Return To Work
Web Site Launched To Reassure Employers About Veterans' Mental Health Issues
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2008
(AP) They survived war, but for some veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, returning to work back home hasn't been easy. An estimated 300,000 veterans from the two wars have come home with mental health problems, so-called invisible wounds, and about the same number suffered head injuries, according to a private study by the RAND Corp. think tank. Associated problems can include depression, flashbacks, irritability, headaches and short-term memory loss.
For those in the National Guard and Reserves, returning to a civilian job at a workplace such as a bank or firehouse can be difficult as they make the transition while trying to cope with new issues. Also, some veterans have complained that they can't find work after leaving the military because employers are hesitant to hire them. Starting Wednesday, the Labor Department is making available to current or potential employers resources to help them better understand the mental health issues veterans may face. It is rolling out a Web site, America's Heroes at Work, and has created a toll-free number, 800-526-7234, for employers with questions.
go here for more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/20/national/main4368682.shtml
Showing posts with label readjustment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label readjustment. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
DOD launches after deployment web site
Subject: Military Health System launched a behavioral health Web portal
The Military Health System launched a behavioral health Web portal August 5, 2008. The Web site, http://www.afterdeployment.org/ (AD), is the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) response to a congressional mandate to develop a behavioral health Web portal focused on post-deployment problems.
More than 1.5 million troops have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. The DoD estimates that up to 15-20 percent of returning troops have problems after returning home. Irritability, depression, increased stress, and relationship difficulties are the typical concerns faced by service members and their families following a deployment.
Multiple reports have highlighted the need for Web-based behavioral health tools to reach the many service members who do not seek out face-to-face care. In addition to barriers to care, such as scheduling appointments or getting time off from work, or transportation costs, many service members fear the stigma that talking to a counselor will damage a career or be seen as a sign of weakness.
In recent months, DoD has taken steps to combat the stigma associated with obtaining necessary mental health treatment. In May 2008, DoD officials announced that applicants for government security clearances would not have to report mental health treatment for their combat- related injuries on their applications.
The Web site offers self-care tools for the entire military community 24/7 anywhere an internet connection is available. The materials can be used anonymously. Additionally, military leadership and health care providers can tap the site’s materials to learn about common problems and change strategies and to obtain useful contact information concerning local resources.
AD’s twelve programs focus on: Adjusting to War Memories; Dealing with Depression; Handling Stress; Improving Relationships; Succeeding at Work; Overcoming Anger; Sleeping Better; Controlling Alcohol and Drugs; Helping Kids Deal with Deployment; Seeking Spiritual Fitness; Living with Physical Injuries; and Balancing Your Life. Self- assessments provide tailored feedback and recommendations.
AD’s intended outreach includes active duty service members, veterans, and their families. The site offers particular advantages for National Guard and Reserve units, who may be distant from a Military Treatment Facility or otherwise located in areas lacking providers who are knowledgeable concerning military-related adjustment concerns.
In addition to AD’s initial public release on Aug. 5, 2008, the fully functional site is expected to be released late-September 2008. Phase
3 project development will commence in October 2008.
http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=301
If you go onto the following links there are other links dealing with the subject. There are personal stories you can click on to listen. All in all, this is a pretty good tool to offer. You do not need to register to use this site and you do not have to allow cookies. That's even better. When I went to the first page, it looked as if you had to register but below where the site asks you to register, it says you can simply explore the site. This is also very helpful considering how many are worried about their careers.
GETTING HELP
Here you will find afterdeployment's twelve Programs. Each Program contains a self-assessment, fact sheets, an e-library, a quiz, interactive exercises, testimonials, and a narrator-guided self-help workshop. Click on any Program of interest.
Adjusting to War Memories
Dealing with Depression
Handling Stress
Improving Relationships
Succeeding at Work
Overcoming Anger
Sleeping Better
Controlling Alcohol and Drugs
Helping Kids Deal with Deployment
Seeking Spiritual Fitness
Living with Physical Injuries
Balancing Your Life
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
War is Rough, but Returning's Rougher, Says Iraq War Vet
War is Rough, but Returning's Rougher, Says Iraq War Vet
Jim Casey
Peninsula Daily News
Aug 05, 2008
August 5, 2008, Port Angeles, WA - After death and destruction were your daily diet in Iraq, civilian life seems hard to swallow.
Certain things also stick in your craw.
"Why are you so angry all the time?" is one question that annoys Logan Smith more than a year after returning stateside.
The really maddening thing is that Smith doesn't know exactly why he's angry.
"I'm still trying to figure it out," he said Friday in his sisters' home on the city's Westside. "I'm still trying to deal with things."
Those "things" range from combat in Iraq - where Smith served as a Marine field MP — to policing a construction site.
"You're kicking doors down and taking weapons from people and getting shot at all day — just heart-thumping action nonstop.
"Then all of a sudden you're in a low-end construction job, starting at the bottom. It's not an ego booster, I'll tell you that."
click post title for more
Jim Casey
Peninsula Daily News
Aug 05, 2008
August 5, 2008, Port Angeles, WA - After death and destruction were your daily diet in Iraq, civilian life seems hard to swallow.
Certain things also stick in your craw.
"Why are you so angry all the time?" is one question that annoys Logan Smith more than a year after returning stateside.
The really maddening thing is that Smith doesn't know exactly why he's angry.
"I'm still trying to figure it out," he said Friday in his sisters' home on the city's Westside. "I'm still trying to deal with things."
Those "things" range from combat in Iraq - where Smith served as a Marine field MP — to policing a construction site.
"You're kicking doors down and taking weapons from people and getting shot at all day — just heart-thumping action nonstop.
"Then all of a sudden you're in a low-end construction job, starting at the bottom. It's not an ego booster, I'll tell you that."
click post title for more
Monday, July 14, 2008
American Combat Veterans Of War
Long road to help for veterans
By Mick Zawislak Daily Herald Staff
Most times, Jim Black surfs the Internet into the early morning hours. When he does sleep, it's not for long and it's not very restful because of the nightmares.
"They're so vivid," says the 26-year-old Lake Villa resident. "I haven't gotten eight hours of sleep in five years."
The images are of Iraq, where Black served as a reconnaissance specialist in the Army beginning in 2003 at the dawn of the Iraq war.
"I had a 5-year-old throw a grenade in my truck the second day I was there. My son is 5," Black says, matter-of-factly.
Listening, as always, is his father-in-law, Tim Corrigan. He's heard a lot the last few years and has tried to help. But he has never been in combat and can't provide what Black needs most: someone who truly understands.
He has witnessed Black's anger and frustration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies as he sought help with his postwar problems.
"He's just an angry, bitter young guy," says Corrigan, who runs a quality control company in Mundelein, where Black works. "His whole life has changed."
Recently, it was Black himself who came upon a possible answer, finding the American Combat Veterans of War on the Internet. The organization was founded in 2001 by Vietnam vet Bill Rider and run on a shoestring budget in La Jolla, Calif.
The small group has a roster of experienced veteran volunteers used to dealing with the problems of returning "warriors", including the bureaucracy intended to assist them.
go here for more
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=220532
By Mick Zawislak Daily Herald Staff
Most times, Jim Black surfs the Internet into the early morning hours. When he does sleep, it's not for long and it's not very restful because of the nightmares.
"They're so vivid," says the 26-year-old Lake Villa resident. "I haven't gotten eight hours of sleep in five years."
The images are of Iraq, where Black served as a reconnaissance specialist in the Army beginning in 2003 at the dawn of the Iraq war.
"I had a 5-year-old throw a grenade in my truck the second day I was there. My son is 5," Black says, matter-of-factly.
Listening, as always, is his father-in-law, Tim Corrigan. He's heard a lot the last few years and has tried to help. But he has never been in combat and can't provide what Black needs most: someone who truly understands.
He has witnessed Black's anger and frustration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies as he sought help with his postwar problems.
"He's just an angry, bitter young guy," says Corrigan, who runs a quality control company in Mundelein, where Black works. "His whole life has changed."
Recently, it was Black himself who came upon a possible answer, finding the American Combat Veterans of War on the Internet. The organization was founded in 2001 by Vietnam vet Bill Rider and run on a shoestring budget in La Jolla, Calif.
The small group has a roster of experienced veteran volunteers used to dealing with the problems of returning "warriors", including the bureaucracy intended to assist them.
go here for more
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=220532
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
VA Vet Centers Coming to 39 Communities
VA Vet Centers Coming to 39 Communities
July 9th, 2008 (12 views )
VA Vet Centers Coming to 39 Communities
Peake: Provide counseling for all combat veterans
WASHINGTON (July 9, 2008) - Combat veterans will receive readjustment
counseling and other assistance in 39 additional communities across the
country where the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will develop Vet
Centers by fall 2009.
“Community-based Vet Centers – already in all 50 states – are a key
component of VA’s mental health program,” said Dr. James B. Peake,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “I’m pleased we can expand access to
bring services closer to even more veterans, including screening and
counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The existing 232 centers conduct community outreach to offer counseling
on employment, family issues and education to combat veterans and family
members, as well as bereavement counseling for families of service
members killed on active duty and counseling for veterans who were
sexually harassed on active duty.
for more and for list click post title
July 9th, 2008 (12 views )
VA Vet Centers Coming to 39 Communities
Peake: Provide counseling for all combat veterans
WASHINGTON (July 9, 2008) - Combat veterans will receive readjustment
counseling and other assistance in 39 additional communities across the
country where the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will develop Vet
Centers by fall 2009.
“Community-based Vet Centers – already in all 50 states – are a key
component of VA’s mental health program,” said Dr. James B. Peake,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “I’m pleased we can expand access to
bring services closer to even more veterans, including screening and
counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The existing 232 centers conduct community outreach to offer counseling
on employment, family issues and education to combat veterans and family
members, as well as bereavement counseling for families of service
members killed on active duty and counseling for veterans who were
sexually harassed on active duty.
for more and for list click post title
Sunday, July 6, 2008
A war that won't let go: Decorated veteran recovers
Pay special attention to this part
A war that won't let go: Decorated veteran recovers from more than physical wounds
By KRISTY GRAY
Star-Tribune staff writer
Sunday, July 6, 2008 10:21 AM MDT
PINE BLUFFS -- It should have been a fairy-tale homecoming for Marine Cpl. Jay Thurin.
And for a time, it was.
Thurin, 23, returned to Pine Bluffs in March 2006 to grateful friends and relatives who shook his hand and thanked him for his service. Newspapers featured the stories of his two Purple Hearts. Pine Bluffs Elementary School invited him to speak to wide-eyed kids who wanted to know everything about being a Marine in Iraq. He found a good job in a field he loved -- farming.
On July 27, 2006, he married Ashley Knaub, a girl he'd met in 4-H. Then came baby MaKenna, a beautiful daughter born on March 31 this year.
On the outside, Thurin looks strong, healthy and every bit like a young man building a life for his family. His right arm -- nearly ripped apart by shrapnel from an anti-tank mine bomb near Fallujah -- is healing after five surgeries and two years of physical therapy.
But inside -- and in the nightmares -- Thurin is still fighting the war. And he struggles to find his footing in a world that seems to be crumbling around him.
click post title for more
It was important for you to notice the first part because this is something we all need to pay attention to. For over 30 years scientists and psychiatrists have been trying to understand the wound of PTSD. For just as long, they have been looking in part, in the wrong places. PTSD does not begin with changes in the brain. That comes after the trauma. So why is it they are only looking at the brain instead of where the wound originates from?
Yesterday during the radio interview I was called a PTSD expert. That still has a hard time of resonating in my brain along with being called Chaplain. While I may be both, I have grown so accustomed to being ignored that when people pay attention to what I have to say, I'm shocked. Considering I've been at this since the age of 23 and heading into my 26th year of this work, (gee I'm getting old) there is a lot more knowledge of this wound in my ever crowded head than there is in the minds of people who just started working on PTSD. While I've learned a great deal reading about PTSD in clinic books as well as just about every news report that has come out since the Vietnam War, (thanking God for library achieves) the biggest source of knowledge came from living with one of them and talking to a lot of others.
Cpl. Jay Thurin is showing classic signs of PTSD not often enough addressed in media accounts. The paranoia of thinking the worst could happen at any moment as he guards the crib of his young baby. The nightly ritual of patrolling the perimeter of the home replacing the base, checking doors and windows obsessively, making sure weapons are in reach, because they think someone is always out there to get them and the enemy followed them home. That comes from the enemy hitching a ride back implanted in their memories. It also comes from a lack of faith that someone is watching over them.
We all feel that way when traumatic things shake our lives. We either walk away thinking God watched over us and protected us or God condemned us and like Job, has begun to take things away from us. Every detail of our lives is dissected looking for all the wrong things we've done up to that point when it feels as if God is fed up with us. We figure if God knows everything then there has to be something wrong with us, the way we lived our lives and the way we treated other people. Facts really don't play into this at all if our understanding of God is so simplistic that the real message from the Bibles we read remains hidden. If we think He's out to get us, then what's the point? We then lose faith, trust, love, joy while believing we have been cursed. Nothing noble or righteous means anything any more.
This is what most PTSD veterans face, as well as anyone who has suffered from traumatic events. It begins with the event itself and then penetrates the soul, traveling into the mind when the memories, nightmares and flashbacks come and then penetrates the body when the organs are attacked, the immune system breaks down and the heart is under assault from the stress. This is why there are miracles happening everyday when PTSD is addressed for the whole person and not just the mind, but the body and the spirit are included in the healing. If scientists would come to the point where they truly understand what a role faith plays in our lives, they will be a lot closer to understanding how to heal the whole person. They have not been able to find the answers by looking at the mind alone after all these years. You'd think they would have learned something else by now. They are still asking the same questions they've been asking since the beginning of man on the planet. Time for them to take a look at another part of the wounded and then maybe, just maybe they will begin to treat it the way it should have been treated all along.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
That paranoia is part of the Thurin who came back from Iraq. Carla Thurin notices other changes, too. Her son is angrier, is not as committed to his faith as he used to be, and is less compassionate toward other people. That, more than anything, disappoints Carla.
A war that won't let go: Decorated veteran recovers from more than physical wounds
By KRISTY GRAY
Star-Tribune staff writer
Sunday, July 6, 2008 10:21 AM MDT
PINE BLUFFS -- It should have been a fairy-tale homecoming for Marine Cpl. Jay Thurin.
And for a time, it was.
Thurin, 23, returned to Pine Bluffs in March 2006 to grateful friends and relatives who shook his hand and thanked him for his service. Newspapers featured the stories of his two Purple Hearts. Pine Bluffs Elementary School invited him to speak to wide-eyed kids who wanted to know everything about being a Marine in Iraq. He found a good job in a field he loved -- farming.
On July 27, 2006, he married Ashley Knaub, a girl he'd met in 4-H. Then came baby MaKenna, a beautiful daughter born on March 31 this year.
On the outside, Thurin looks strong, healthy and every bit like a young man building a life for his family. His right arm -- nearly ripped apart by shrapnel from an anti-tank mine bomb near Fallujah -- is healing after five surgeries and two years of physical therapy.
But inside -- and in the nightmares -- Thurin is still fighting the war. And he struggles to find his footing in a world that seems to be crumbling around him.
click post title for more
It was important for you to notice the first part because this is something we all need to pay attention to. For over 30 years scientists and psychiatrists have been trying to understand the wound of PTSD. For just as long, they have been looking in part, in the wrong places. PTSD does not begin with changes in the brain. That comes after the trauma. So why is it they are only looking at the brain instead of where the wound originates from?
Yesterday during the radio interview I was called a PTSD expert. That still has a hard time of resonating in my brain along with being called Chaplain. While I may be both, I have grown so accustomed to being ignored that when people pay attention to what I have to say, I'm shocked. Considering I've been at this since the age of 23 and heading into my 26th year of this work, (gee I'm getting old) there is a lot more knowledge of this wound in my ever crowded head than there is in the minds of people who just started working on PTSD. While I've learned a great deal reading about PTSD in clinic books as well as just about every news report that has come out since the Vietnam War, (thanking God for library achieves) the biggest source of knowledge came from living with one of them and talking to a lot of others.
Cpl. Jay Thurin is showing classic signs of PTSD not often enough addressed in media accounts. The paranoia of thinking the worst could happen at any moment as he guards the crib of his young baby. The nightly ritual of patrolling the perimeter of the home replacing the base, checking doors and windows obsessively, making sure weapons are in reach, because they think someone is always out there to get them and the enemy followed them home. That comes from the enemy hitching a ride back implanted in their memories. It also comes from a lack of faith that someone is watching over them.
We all feel that way when traumatic things shake our lives. We either walk away thinking God watched over us and protected us or God condemned us and like Job, has begun to take things away from us. Every detail of our lives is dissected looking for all the wrong things we've done up to that point when it feels as if God is fed up with us. We figure if God knows everything then there has to be something wrong with us, the way we lived our lives and the way we treated other people. Facts really don't play into this at all if our understanding of God is so simplistic that the real message from the Bibles we read remains hidden. If we think He's out to get us, then what's the point? We then lose faith, trust, love, joy while believing we have been cursed. Nothing noble or righteous means anything any more.
This is what most PTSD veterans face, as well as anyone who has suffered from traumatic events. It begins with the event itself and then penetrates the soul, traveling into the mind when the memories, nightmares and flashbacks come and then penetrates the body when the organs are attacked, the immune system breaks down and the heart is under assault from the stress. This is why there are miracles happening everyday when PTSD is addressed for the whole person and not just the mind, but the body and the spirit are included in the healing. If scientists would come to the point where they truly understand what a role faith plays in our lives, they will be a lot closer to understanding how to heal the whole person. They have not been able to find the answers by looking at the mind alone after all these years. You'd think they would have learned something else by now. They are still asking the same questions they've been asking since the beginning of man on the planet. Time for them to take a look at another part of the wounded and then maybe, just maybe they will begin to treat it the way it should have been treated all along.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
A look at Wyoming's new veterans
A look at Wyo's new veterans
Casper Star-Tribune Online - Casper,WY,USA
By CHAD BALDWIN
Star-Tribune editor
Sunday, July 6, 2008 2:06 AM MDT
You've read and heard the reports for months: Veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling with physical and psychological wounds, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Like so much of the national coverage of violence and death in the Middle East, these reports have become something of a blur for many of us. Unless you know a veteran who's having problems, the news about the after-effects of war tends to fly by quickly -- perhaps reinforcing your position against the war, if you're of that opinion, but not really sinking in.
The Star-Tribune has published dozens of stories about men and women from Wyoming who've served in Iraq and Afghanistan since those conflicts began. We've covered every funeral of the state's slain servicemen. We've written about and photographed several send-offs and welcome-home ceremonies for Wyoming National Guard units. We've taken a look at how their families cope while they're gone. We've done some stories about efforts to help the troops once they come home.
What we haven't done is take an in-depth look at how our servicemen and women are doing since they've returned. Until now.
Starting in today's paper, the Star-Tribune will publish a multi-Sunday series, "Back from War," examining the lives of a number of Iraq war veterans -- and what's being done to help them and others. A team of reporters and photographers has been working on the project for several months.
Our initial objective was to see if Wyoming's newly minted war veterans are having the same experiences as their counterparts across the country. We have found that is indeed the case.
Many veterans are doing fine. They've adjusted to life on the home front and have settled well back into their civilian lives. Others, however, are dealing with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems stemming from their time overseas.
Finding veterans willing to share their stories has been difficult. Staffers with the Wyoming National Guard, the Department of Veterans Affairs and other organizations have provided some help, but the search took considerable time. A number of veterans we contacted had compelling stories, but they weren't willing to tell them publicly. Others let us into their homes and their lives, and for that we are grateful.
click above for more
Casper Star-Tribune Online - Casper,WY,USA
By CHAD BALDWIN
Star-Tribune editor
Sunday, July 6, 2008 2:06 AM MDT
You've read and heard the reports for months: Veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling with physical and psychological wounds, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Like so much of the national coverage of violence and death in the Middle East, these reports have become something of a blur for many of us. Unless you know a veteran who's having problems, the news about the after-effects of war tends to fly by quickly -- perhaps reinforcing your position against the war, if you're of that opinion, but not really sinking in.
The Star-Tribune has published dozens of stories about men and women from Wyoming who've served in Iraq and Afghanistan since those conflicts began. We've covered every funeral of the state's slain servicemen. We've written about and photographed several send-offs and welcome-home ceremonies for Wyoming National Guard units. We've taken a look at how their families cope while they're gone. We've done some stories about efforts to help the troops once they come home.
What we haven't done is take an in-depth look at how our servicemen and women are doing since they've returned. Until now.
Starting in today's paper, the Star-Tribune will publish a multi-Sunday series, "Back from War," examining the lives of a number of Iraq war veterans -- and what's being done to help them and others. A team of reporters and photographers has been working on the project for several months.
Our initial objective was to see if Wyoming's newly minted war veterans are having the same experiences as their counterparts across the country. We have found that is indeed the case.
Many veterans are doing fine. They've adjusted to life on the home front and have settled well back into their civilian lives. Others, however, are dealing with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems stemming from their time overseas.
Finding veterans willing to share their stories has been difficult. Staffers with the Wyoming National Guard, the Department of Veterans Affairs and other organizations have provided some help, but the search took considerable time. A number of veterans we contacted had compelling stories, but they weren't willing to tell them publicly. Others let us into their homes and their lives, and for that we are grateful.
click above for more
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
GSU students launch group for military veterans
GSU students launch group for military veterans
Pamela E. Walck Monday, April 14, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Matthew Moser looks like a typical student at Georgia Southern University.
He's an outgoing junior studying pre-med with dreams of becoming a doctor.
What many miss: He's also an Army veteran who has seen combat zones twice - in Kosovo and Iraq.
At 26, he's a retired soldier who has battled through the transition into civilian life, as well as fought mild symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
But Moser said it was those unseen struggles that felt like a chasm between him and most of his 18- and 19-year-old classmates - until he met other military veterans.
"It's not as easy (returning to civilian life) as it sounds," he said. "Sometimes we need help along the way. When I came back to school, I met some veterans that were able to help me, but not everyone has ... that."
It's no surprise that Moser is president of the GSU Veterans Organization, a new group on campus that aims to assist former servicemen and women to adjust into the role of "student."
"It was difficult to adjust," Moser said. "Suddenly you're the older guy in class or the oldest. ... You're immediately different than the rest."
Moser said the ability to share these experiences with others going through similar things helped alleviate the pressure - and the isolation of thinking he was the only one.
Today, some 20-plus student veterans meet every other week at GSU.
Sometimes it's just to hang out or play intramural baseball. Sometimes it's to talk about what's on their minds.
Sometimes it's to make sure veterans are getting all the benefits they qualify for or the help and support they need.
"It was hard for me. I was never diagnosed with PTSD, but I had huge signs of it. I never wanted to get any help. I was too hard-headed to (go to the Veterans Affairs)," Moser said. "Having peers around you that have been through the same stuff really helps - especially when you can talk to them about it and they understand."
go here for more
http://savannahnow.com/node/480469
Pamela E. Walck Monday, April 14, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Matthew Moser looks like a typical student at Georgia Southern University.
He's an outgoing junior studying pre-med with dreams of becoming a doctor.
What many miss: He's also an Army veteran who has seen combat zones twice - in Kosovo and Iraq.
At 26, he's a retired soldier who has battled through the transition into civilian life, as well as fought mild symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
But Moser said it was those unseen struggles that felt like a chasm between him and most of his 18- and 19-year-old classmates - until he met other military veterans.
"It's not as easy (returning to civilian life) as it sounds," he said. "Sometimes we need help along the way. When I came back to school, I met some veterans that were able to help me, but not everyone has ... that."
It's no surprise that Moser is president of the GSU Veterans Organization, a new group on campus that aims to assist former servicemen and women to adjust into the role of "student."
"It was difficult to adjust," Moser said. "Suddenly you're the older guy in class or the oldest. ... You're immediately different than the rest."
Moser said the ability to share these experiences with others going through similar things helped alleviate the pressure - and the isolation of thinking he was the only one.
Today, some 20-plus student veterans meet every other week at GSU.
Sometimes it's just to hang out or play intramural baseball. Sometimes it's to talk about what's on their minds.
Sometimes it's to make sure veterans are getting all the benefits they qualify for or the help and support they need.
"It was hard for me. I was never diagnosed with PTSD, but I had huge signs of it. I never wanted to get any help. I was too hard-headed to (go to the Veterans Affairs)," Moser said. "Having peers around you that have been through the same stuff really helps - especially when you can talk to them about it and they understand."
go here for more
http://savannahnow.com/node/480469
Sunday, March 30, 2008
New programs aim to ease National Guard return from war
New programs aim to ease Guard return from war
By Michael Virtanen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 30, 2008 14:33:43 EDT
LATHAM, N.Y. — When Capt. Brian Rockwell returned from Iraq last fall, like most soldiers he just wanted to be home. Four months later, though, he was starting to think he might like another mission.
“It wears on you when you’re over there,” Rockwell said. But there’s another set of stresses back here. “It’s an adjustment.”
Unlike the regular Army, whose soldiers usually return from combat zones to the steady rhythms of military bases after a couple weeks’ leave, National Guard troops have been leaving their comrades at the airport and go straight back into civilian life.
Now, with almost half its troop strength having gone to Iraq, the New York Army National Guard is changing the way they come back. Instead of cutting them loose for the first 90 days, Guardsmen will be required — and families invited — to attend weekend retreats at upscale hotels after 30 days and 60 days.
The full program starts with the 104th Military Police Battalion in mid-April. New York needed the recent change in Defense Department policy to do it, following Minnesota’s lead. Now 14 states are doing it. But officers said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, now adjutant general for New York following his own Iraq tour, and his wife, Susan, provided a push to get the program running here.
At a congressional hearing this month, several people testified about the sometimes unresponsive — but improving — mental health system for military personnel with problems from prolonged warfare and lengthy deployments. The increase in military suicides has dramatized the issue. The Army said recently that as many as 121 soldiers committed suicide last year, more than double the number reported in 2001.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_guardsmen_returnhome_033008/
By Michael Virtanen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 30, 2008 14:33:43 EDT
LATHAM, N.Y. — When Capt. Brian Rockwell returned from Iraq last fall, like most soldiers he just wanted to be home. Four months later, though, he was starting to think he might like another mission.
“It wears on you when you’re over there,” Rockwell said. But there’s another set of stresses back here. “It’s an adjustment.”
Unlike the regular Army, whose soldiers usually return from combat zones to the steady rhythms of military bases after a couple weeks’ leave, National Guard troops have been leaving their comrades at the airport and go straight back into civilian life.
Now, with almost half its troop strength having gone to Iraq, the New York Army National Guard is changing the way they come back. Instead of cutting them loose for the first 90 days, Guardsmen will be required — and families invited — to attend weekend retreats at upscale hotels after 30 days and 60 days.
The full program starts with the 104th Military Police Battalion in mid-April. New York needed the recent change in Defense Department policy to do it, following Minnesota’s lead. Now 14 states are doing it. But officers said Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, now adjutant general for New York following his own Iraq tour, and his wife, Susan, provided a push to get the program running here.
At a congressional hearing this month, several people testified about the sometimes unresponsive — but improving — mental health system for military personnel with problems from prolonged warfare and lengthy deployments. The increase in military suicides has dramatized the issue. The Army said recently that as many as 121 soldiers committed suicide last year, more than double the number reported in 2001.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_guardsmen_returnhome_033008/
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The bumpy road home from military to civilian
The bumpy road home
By Tony Lascari
12/22/2007
Dan and Sara TerBurgh shook hands, gave hugs and shared stories during a welcome home celebration in August following a several-year long absence from Midland.
The two had dated while attending Midland High School and both graduated in 1998. When Dan pursued a nine-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sara went with him. After the couple had three children and Dan served two tours of duty in Iraq, they decided it was time to come home.
The readjustment to civilian life hasn’t been easy as Dan waited for a new job, struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and arranged for his family to share a home with his parents.
“We took a big risk getting out of the Marine Corps,” Dan said. “We gave up a lot and we were not used to living with nothing.”
The family’s return to Midland came at the end of July, and an early August welcome home party organized by Sara’s mom gathered dozens of family and friends.
Displays of his military gear, certificates, photos, letters from Sara and a map of missions in Iraq were displayed with honor. Dan’s smile widened as family arrived and he told stories of traveling from southern Iraq to Baghdad as an operations chief of a firing battalion with the 1st Marine Division.
He had joined the Marines right out of high school because he knew he wasn’t ready for college and wanted new experiences that would help him get disciplined.
“I kind of wanted to be a part of something the country was going through,” he said. “I’ll take my Marine Corps experience with me the rest of my life. I learned more there than I ever think I will anywhere else.”
click post title for the rest
By Tony Lascari
12/22/2007
Dan and Sara TerBurgh shook hands, gave hugs and shared stories during a welcome home celebration in August following a several-year long absence from Midland.
The two had dated while attending Midland High School and both graduated in 1998. When Dan pursued a nine-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sara went with him. After the couple had three children and Dan served two tours of duty in Iraq, they decided it was time to come home.
The readjustment to civilian life hasn’t been easy as Dan waited for a new job, struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and arranged for his family to share a home with his parents.
“We took a big risk getting out of the Marine Corps,” Dan said. “We gave up a lot and we were not used to living with nothing.”
The family’s return to Midland came at the end of July, and an early August welcome home party organized by Sara’s mom gathered dozens of family and friends.
Displays of his military gear, certificates, photos, letters from Sara and a map of missions in Iraq were displayed with honor. Dan’s smile widened as family arrived and he told stories of traveling from southern Iraq to Baghdad as an operations chief of a firing battalion with the 1st Marine Division.
He had joined the Marines right out of high school because he knew he wasn’t ready for college and wanted new experiences that would help him get disciplined.
“I kind of wanted to be a part of something the country was going through,” he said. “I’ll take my Marine Corps experience with me the rest of my life. I learned more there than I ever think I will anywhere else.”
click post title for the rest
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