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View Full Version : Some Veterans still embroiled in post deployment



thedrifter
11-09-03, 07:21 AM
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 2003117144520
Story by Sgt. Colin Wyers



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(November 6, 2003) -- A Marine who recently returned from Iraq no longer has to worry about the enemy taking potshots at him. But he still does.

It's an example of the kind of anxiety that follows some Marines back from the war front, making it difficult to function, a counselor here said.

"(He) had a lot of anxiety," Navy Lt. Cmdr. Elizabeth Burns, the chief of counseling at the Intervention and Treatment Branch here, said about the Marine with whom she's counseled.

"He'd leave here, walk across the street to the parking lot and he would become extremely anxious because he felt that he was in the open," Burns said. "He didn't have his weapon. He didn't have other Marines close by."

Even the simple tasks can be daunting for a minority of Marines, said Burns, who's spoken with Marines for whom everyday chores suddenly seem paralyzing.

Many returning Marines are having problems readjusting, confirmed Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Pearce, a neuropsychiatric technician at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.

"They've adopted ways of coping that are unique to the battlefield," Pearce said.

The majority of these Marines are not suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but simply taking time to transition away from a combat environment.

"A lot of guys thought that once they got back, slept in their own bed and had a home-cooked meal, that everything would be back to normal," Burns said. "What they noticed was that they were having some bad dreams, were easily startled, had difficulty concentrating and were feeling detached from their family."

To prevent these problems from developing into post-traumatic stress disorder, the first line of defense is the Marine's unit - from small-unit leaders to the command chaplains.

"It's important to remember that people (in Vietnam) went as individuals. They did not go as a unit," Burns said. "And they returned as individuals, not as a unit."

The Department of Defense has since changed that strategy. Now Marines deploy and return as part of a whole unit and can share and work through their difficulties together.

For those who need further assistance, counseling services are available in individual and group sessions.

"It's a continuing process," Pearce said. "From the first time they can start talking to somebody about their experiences, it really starts helping them understand that they're not in a unique situation."

The counseling services aim to keep Marines together with others who are sharing similar challenges. Group sessions allow Marines to learn that what's happening is not their fault. They also learn relaxation techniques and anger management.

"Many of the Marines think they are the only one having difficulties," Burns said. "They may perceive themselves as weak, bad Marines. When they get in group, they realize other Marines are having the same reactions, the same difficulties, understand what they've been through and can be very supportive of each other."

For more information, contact the unit chaplain, the Intervention and Treatment Branch at 725-9051.

E-mail Sgt. Wyers at: WyersC@pendleton.usmc.mil.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/39F5C9C3E6B4C42C85256DD7006C855C?opendocument

Sempers,

Roger
:marine: