There are invisible wounds of war that are often deeper and more painful than anything that bleeds. Losing yourself, losing your family, and losing your very sense of purpose often haunts a soldier who is no longer deployed. Depression and guilt are the only emotions that are easily and readily felt. The place these soldiers once called home no longer feels like it, but the battlefield they recently departed offers no comfort or feeling of safety either. Serving their country requires them to live a very different lifestyle than they formerly knew. There are many programs to ensure they are prepared for battle, but on their return there is nothing to aid them in their reacclimation to society.
It seems that the country they risked their lives to defend treats these soldiers as objects to be used and thrown away once they are done serving their time. The government neglects post-deployment social support for its veterans who suffer from psychological and cognitive damage caused by war. If soldiers were offered Basic Civilian Training, it would re-establish a sense of purpose and provide them with the skills needed to survive in the civilian world. PTSD is a growing epidemic that is deeply rooted in a dark history of government neglect of American soldiers. Traumatic Brain Injury, or “TBI”, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or “PTSD”, has existed for centuries.
From attacks by Confederate soldiers to twenty-first century terrorists, all have led to psychiatric injury. This injury of the mind went by many names and evoked a variety of methods for treatment. During the American Civil War, soldiers with PTSD were reported to have an “irritable heart.” This condition was combated with daily rum rations and a mandatory “manly” attitude change. When this treatment proved unsuccessful and soldiers began taking their own lives to cope, “drunkenness” was blamed for half the deaths in the United States (Coleman 23). The lack of sympathy displayed by armies for those with an “irritable heart” stirred thoughts of deserting or applying for release in some soldiers. Unfortunately, both of these actions commonly ended with an official label as a coward, a public execution, and an unmarked grave (O’Connor). This is a dishonorable fate for not only the soldier but their family. Because of this, fear of dishonor made sure soldiers continued to serve, praying their mind would stay sane. During World War II “shell shock” and “hysteria” were the new names for the unusual psyche phenomenon soldiers experienced. These dramatic reaction was often brought about by prolonged exposure to the explosions of nearby artillery shells, and again written off as weakness.
After WWII, American society continued to avoid acknowledging this neurological injury, choosing different names over the years such as,“battle fatigue” after the Korean War, or “Post-Vietnam Syndrome” after the Vietnam War. It wasn’t until America entered conflict with Iraq and Afghanistan that doctors began to establish PTSD as an legitimate condition. Dr. Jonathan Shay, author of Odysseus in America, wrote that those who suffer from PTSD, “carry the burdens of sacrifice for the rest of us as surely as the amputees, the burned, the blind, and the paralyzed carry them” (Shay 4). Shay suggested that despite the absence of physical evidence, these invisible wounds cause just as much trouble for the soldier when he returns home as if he had returned without a limb. Major Ben Richards emphasizes the institutional neglect of PTSD by explaining that, “Coming from an Army ethos, you’re not even entitled to complain unless you’ve lost all four limbs,”. In contrast, Nicholas Kristof, writer for The New York Times, reminds him, “there’s growing evidence that concussions — whether in sports or in the military — are every bit as damaging as far bloodier wounds” (Kristof). This neurological injury has changed its name over the years, but the damage it causes remains the same. As long as PTSD goes overlooked and untreated, soldiers will be left to suffer the consequences of careless government neglect.
To understand the entirety of what veterans with PTSD experience, doctors had to find its underlying causes. PTSD results from exposure to a scarring, dangerous, and emotionally painful event. War is the perfect combination of all three and thus inflicts the most psychological and cognitive damage to a person. This type of event in which a soldier is in perpetual danger overwhelms the natural coping mechanisms and sends him into a constant state of survival that does not end when the threat of danger passes. PTSD can affect the way the human body sees, feels, and experiences life, as well as how it copes with stressors. So, when soldiers return home from combat, they are surprised by having to fight this new invisible and inescapable enemy exists in all areas of their life. As a result of this invisible war, soldiers often find themselves feeling used and worthless. These strong and capable individuals were asked by their country to serve, and were assured the job they were fulfilling was honorable. In the end, they believed their sacrifices would protect their homeland as well as their family. Yet, upon their return, veterans are met with the harsh reality of psychological damage and little government support to help them transition back into society.
These brave men and women no longer feel like the strong and capable individuals they once were. Without support, it’s hard for Veterans to accept that they require help re-acclimating to the civilian world. After 9/11 many men and women who were 18 or older joined up to serve their country. Some with nothing more than a high school degree and no adult life experience were sent off to war and return to an outdated resume and war inflicted mental turmoil. How can you expect these young men and women to find jobs with no skills in order to support themselves and their families? How can you expect them to know how to manage their finances when the government has given them no life skills other than how to survive when someone is trying to kill you? They are used to a life of order and purpose. So a life full of choices, emotions, and civilian struggles is foreign to them. Basic Combat Training is meant to turn civilians into soldiers, but the government offers no program to turn these soldiers back into civilians. A program is needed that gives them the tools to deal with everyday struggles and the skills to provide basic needs for themselves and their dependents, is necessary. Despite the growing evidence of PTSD’s negative effect on a soldier’s life upon returning home, little to no solutions currently exist.
The Department of Veteran affairs, known as the VA, is one of these makeshift solutions. According to Washington Correspondent, Donovan Slack, the Department of Veteran Affairs has a long history of previously exposed legal actions including falsifying wait times, lethal failures in care, subsequent care, and more. In 2002, the VA was found guilty of violating a federal law that prohibits a healthcare provider who has a revoked medical license in any one of the 50 states. This same crime continues to be a problem within the VA system 15 years later as a VA hospital in Iowa City hires a doctor with several malpractice claims and a revoked license. This has also occurred in VA hospitals in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Wisconsin (Slack). Another lacking governmental system is the DoD and VA Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA). This is an assessment given to soldiers by the DoD to determine if they are “fit” enough to return home. Not only is this test quick and insufficient, but often times it fails to relay accurate data. Many soldiers are not truthful about their problems to a doctor or on the PDHA and pretend they are fine, thereby sliding under the radar of diagnosis (Gill).
For centuries war has required soldiers to be strong. In this modern age, culture dictates that strong people put on a brave face and never display weakness or imperfections. This stigma of weakness when displaying pain or emotions needs to be addressed in order to provide an effective solution to these soldiers. Just like every soldier must be trained to enter the battlefield, every soldier should be given the same training to survive and navigate the homefront. To enter the military, all soldiers attend a Basic Combat Training which is between seven and twelve weeks duration depending on their branch of service (“Length”). To return home, soldiers’ Basic Civilian Training should be similar in length. This program would be brief, but provide these soldiers all the basic life training they will need. Veterans cover a wide variety of ethnic, socio-economic, and experiential backgrounds which can make the creation of a universal civilian training program difficult. This Basic Civilian Training covers 4 phases that are specifically designed to address growing problems soldiers face when they return home: Psychological Care, Money Management, Employment Opportunity/Skill Training, and Leisure Training.
The first phase of training revolves around Employment Opportunity and Skill Training. Some veterans want to use the skills they learned in the military to make money on the homefront, while others want a completely different job that does not remind them of their time in combat. However, both of these soldiers require guidance to develop and master these abilities. To turn any formerly acquired skill into a useful craft in civilian life, training is required. For example, fire-fighting overseas in a warzone is different than firefighting in a suburb, and training to shoot human-like targets looks different that being an olympic marksman coach. No matter what interest veterans have, civilian training gives them a starting resume, and basic skills of a specific trade. The credentials veterans need to get into a trade school like barber school or underwater welding will be taught, but they will also be connected to a network of contacts in their intended field. This also gives veteran a chance to see if they are capable of the physical demands of a specific job in order to simplify the job search and hiring process. The Second phase is Leisure Training.
The words “home” and “family” are meant to be peaceful, however, readjusting to a home routine that changed in their absence leaves veterans feeling like strangers in their own home. So the question arises, how can the returning soldier help out at home once again? Soldiers need to be explained that home has changed slightly while they were away. This can be a harsh reality, but time has passed, children have grown, dogs have aged, and their place may differ slightly. They must be reminded that they are not replaced. They are not forgotten, but they will need to be willing to go with the flow and adjust. This training is to teach you something you didn’t know how to do before or were not used to doing. It allows them to be adaptable within their home. This training is to address veterans of all ages and all experiences, so many of these household skills may seem basic, but readjusting to the routine of doing them is new. The second half of the Leisure Training is give veterans a hobby. They need a sense of passion. Soldiers are hard working men and women who need something to do. Being bored is not an option. Teach them how to tie fishing knots and lures. How to play solitaire. How to do boxing.
Weightlifting. Surfing. Swimming. Knitting. How to play the drums. Boredom can lead to depressing emotions such as uselessness or worthlessness. If the government formally recognizes that experiencing war damages soldiers’ psychological health by establishing Basic Civilian Training as a coping program, doctors could assume that every soldier returns with some form of psychological cognitive damage or change in behavior. Then, every veteran will be treated. There would be no, “formal diagnosis” required to treat underlying injuries, making sure that no soldier goes unnoticed and untreated. Basic Civilian Training reduces the risk of releasing possibly mentally injured soldiers into society. This is not only for the safety of those around them, but for the safety of themselves as well. It’s no secret that, “More than a third of the adult perpetrators of the 43 worst mass killings since 1984 had been in the United States military” (Gusterson). But what often goes overlooked is the overwhelming number of soldiers that injure themselves as well.
“Military veterans kill themselves at a 50 percent higher rate than their civilian counterparts” (Gusterson). This is not to claim that PTSD is to blame for mass shootings or suicide, however, this is an alarming amount of death and it could be potentially stopped with treatment to address the types of emotions and decisions that lead to these killings. One of the most important factors of Basic Civilian Training is creating a routine. As the soldiers complete 4 classes everyday. Everyday they should see a doctor/psychologist. Simple changes will help them transition. Give them a newspaper every morning, let them pick out their clothes, make simple tasks part of their daily routine at Basic Civilian Training. This is a simple solution to a complex problem. The transition to normality can be difficult, but Basic Civilian Training gives former soldiers a safe environment to readjust in around other Veterans who understand their struggles. Many servicemen and women enter the armed forces at 18 years old. Imagine being 18 years old. Probably relying on your parents for the roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back.
Now, I understand that some 18 year olds have it harder than others and have to work during high school or after graduation, but are most 18 year olds living on their own and providing entirely for themselves? Probably not. Do they know what inflation is or how to pay their taxes? Do they know what low interest rates they should look for before buying a car? Do they know how to budget their money to stay on top of their rent and phone bills? These questions are answered with the Money Management part of Basic Civilian Training. For civilians and servemen alike, finances can be a burden and a stressor. Returning soldiers need to be set up for success by skills to manage their money efficiently, before they can accumulate any unnecessary stress. To keep the economics lessons simple and to the point, returning soldiers will learn three thing: saving, paying, and spending. First, they will learn how to use a saving account, how to budget their paycheck, and live within their means. Second, they will learn how and when to pay taxes.
In addition it is important that they learn the consequences of not doing so, by definition tax evasion. Finally in the Paying category they will learn how to pay their bills on time and keep up with the payments. Third, Spending is a combination of both, but specifically it focuses on credit cards, credit scores, loans, and interest rates. In addition, these returning soldiers will be provided with a network of people who could help them start a business or invest their money. As a society, we overlook soldiers with PTSD because we have accepted this as the norm. We act as if it is their chosen fate to suffer when in reality that is the last thing they deserve. It’s quite heartbreaking actually: these veterans heroically risk their lives for their country, enduring hardships and horrors civilians cannot simply imagine, only to return home to an apathetic and ungrateful society.
Their loved ones at home try to help them adjust, but there is no way they can understand the atrocities the soldiers have had to face. These Veterans are often left feeling empty and lacking purpose in this provincial way of life at home. To be a productive, functioning healthy member of society once again, they need guidance. Basic Civilian Training will help former soldiers reintegrate into their safe home environment when they are used to a hostile and dangerous combat environment. Theses soldiers once served us on distant battlefields and aided us in our weakness, now it is our turn to aid them on their battle against the unseen enemy within. “Thank you for your service”, is no longer enough. We must now let our actions speak louder than those words.
