thedrifter
11-14-08, 08:01 AM
Young vets adjust from heroism to isolation on the homefront
by Jessica Garcia
Nov 13, 2008
Marine Corps veteran Stuart Greenfield quickly realized how trivial certain aspects of American life can be after he returned home from serving in Iraq in 2006. It's a sharp contrast from the responsibilities he had in the military — targeting for Marines in combat — to what he does now in his civilian job at Bank of America.
"The trust factor is significant," Greenfield said. "Just the other day, I was yelled at — no, I shouldn't say 'yelled at,' I was more like 'coached' by my manager — to make sure everybody got their deposit slips filled out."
Laughter ensued at Greenfield's comment but it was the kind of laughter that comes when the truth is spoken. Greenfield and about 10 other veterans of the Iraq and Vietnam wars gathered Wednesday night at Truckee Meadows Community College's Dandini campus to share how they've adapted — and in some cases not adapted — from military to civilian life. Five panelists shared the hardships and small but significant victories they've made along the way toward gaining a bit of normalcy in their civilian identities.
TMCC counselor Susan Thomasson, program counselor for the college's Veterans Upward Bound program, opened the forum with a brief description of the transition process. She has helped returning military members readjust to American culture for the past 15 years. She spoke of the veterans of different generations and how their reaction when they come home is the same, though she said the intensity is higher for veterans today.
"They're dealing with very similar issues with what other vets have been dealing with but fresher," said Thomasson, whose husband served in Vietnam.
Thomasson spent time talking about the ordeal veterans go through as they process their own combat stress and emotional trauma, with many being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They may be desperate for support that's hard to find from their families and friends, most of whom likely never underwent such circumstances. It can lead to a loss of identity, she said. Regrets can prevent soldiers from physically coping with lack of sleep and social interaction.
"No man is an island," Thomasson said. "We need each other."
They also touched on the entrance into the collegiate environment to receive the education they're entitled to with under the GI Bill.
Ted Varney, one of the organizers of the event and a six-year infantryman who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, said he has learned to regain a grasp on his transition by becoming more sensitive to the impact of how war is presented, especially when returning to the classroom. Such events can act as "triggers" of soldiers' memories of the violence and danger they experienced.
"I know when my art history teacher puts on a video of a famous massacre, that's going to trigger the time I shot a little boy in Iraq," Varney said. "She doesn't understand that's an issue."
Seeking social support from peers is difficult, said Scott Drew, a team leader at the Reno Vet Center who spent four years in the Persian Gulf as a Navy officer before graduating with a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Nevada, Reno.
"You probably don't share (your experiences) with a lot of friends because there's not going to be a lot of empathy," Drew said. "You could even get negative feedback like, 'Oh, you're with that group.' You feel disconnected."
The veterans at the forum all agreed that gaining understanding from fellow Americans who have never been actively involved with the efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan is the biggest obstacle to overcome.
Every veteran's transition varies, Drew said, and each deals with it in their own way, adding to the intensity of symptoms of PTSD.
Rob Webster, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Operation Enduring Freedom, said the war has changed his own perceptions of himself. Webster served in the Air Force and was embedded with the Army in Iraq.
"I thought I was an amazing person before I left and now I think I'm incredible," Webster said. "It's not that I'm egotistical, it's that I'm more sensitive to the community. I'm a much better person and I would never have known that if it weren't for all the therapy to express myself to become a stronger man."
Nearly all the panelists and some audience members could empathize with finding unhealthy ways to move past their changes from military discipline to their rediscovered, undisciplined home lives, including "replacing their livers" by drinking and getting involved in short-lived, meaningless relationships.
Bill Baines, a TMCC professor at the Redfield campus and a Vietnam veteran, remembers his adjustment all too well after the despair faced by veterans of his generation.
"Marines are taught that they're harder," Baines said. "I thought I was letting someone down if I talked to someone for help. That took me approximately 35 years to get past."
But he also said he made friendships in that foreign country that he will never be able to create at home.
"(It's) the love, the closeness, the sharing," Baines said. "The camaraderie of the people you find in combat under terrible conditions. You never experience that again and that's one of the things I found missing most when I got back into the 'real world' again and it took me years and years again to get back into contact with them. ...We shared the closest love."
Baines praised the young men and women at the forum, remarking that even though it seems senseless for them to have to serve multiple tours, they deserve every honor from their nation.
"Going one time was enough for me; one time was probably three times for me," he said.
Varney said the discussion was good to help local veterans figure out how to get plugged into the community to provide understanding of their perspectives. He said he hoped the session would inspire them to brainstorm ways to invites others who need support with their transition. It would also benefit the civilian public that may lack understanding because they are afraid to hear violent war accounts.
"If you go to McDonald's and sit down at a table, you will starve to death before they bring you something to eat," Varney said, implying that the veterans community can’t sit and wait for civilian help. "There are things we can bring to the community. Let's invite them and allow them to engage in discourse and not scare them with combat stories."
Ellie
by Jessica Garcia
Nov 13, 2008
Marine Corps veteran Stuart Greenfield quickly realized how trivial certain aspects of American life can be after he returned home from serving in Iraq in 2006. It's a sharp contrast from the responsibilities he had in the military — targeting for Marines in combat — to what he does now in his civilian job at Bank of America.
"The trust factor is significant," Greenfield said. "Just the other day, I was yelled at — no, I shouldn't say 'yelled at,' I was more like 'coached' by my manager — to make sure everybody got their deposit slips filled out."
Laughter ensued at Greenfield's comment but it was the kind of laughter that comes when the truth is spoken. Greenfield and about 10 other veterans of the Iraq and Vietnam wars gathered Wednesday night at Truckee Meadows Community College's Dandini campus to share how they've adapted — and in some cases not adapted — from military to civilian life. Five panelists shared the hardships and small but significant victories they've made along the way toward gaining a bit of normalcy in their civilian identities.
TMCC counselor Susan Thomasson, program counselor for the college's Veterans Upward Bound program, opened the forum with a brief description of the transition process. She has helped returning military members readjust to American culture for the past 15 years. She spoke of the veterans of different generations and how their reaction when they come home is the same, though she said the intensity is higher for veterans today.
"They're dealing with very similar issues with what other vets have been dealing with but fresher," said Thomasson, whose husband served in Vietnam.
Thomasson spent time talking about the ordeal veterans go through as they process their own combat stress and emotional trauma, with many being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They may be desperate for support that's hard to find from their families and friends, most of whom likely never underwent such circumstances. It can lead to a loss of identity, she said. Regrets can prevent soldiers from physically coping with lack of sleep and social interaction.
"No man is an island," Thomasson said. "We need each other."
They also touched on the entrance into the collegiate environment to receive the education they're entitled to with under the GI Bill.
Ted Varney, one of the organizers of the event and a six-year infantryman who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, said he has learned to regain a grasp on his transition by becoming more sensitive to the impact of how war is presented, especially when returning to the classroom. Such events can act as "triggers" of soldiers' memories of the violence and danger they experienced.
"I know when my art history teacher puts on a video of a famous massacre, that's going to trigger the time I shot a little boy in Iraq," Varney said. "She doesn't understand that's an issue."
Seeking social support from peers is difficult, said Scott Drew, a team leader at the Reno Vet Center who spent four years in the Persian Gulf as a Navy officer before graduating with a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Nevada, Reno.
"You probably don't share (your experiences) with a lot of friends because there's not going to be a lot of empathy," Drew said. "You could even get negative feedback like, 'Oh, you're with that group.' You feel disconnected."
The veterans at the forum all agreed that gaining understanding from fellow Americans who have never been actively involved with the efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan is the biggest obstacle to overcome.
Every veteran's transition varies, Drew said, and each deals with it in their own way, adding to the intensity of symptoms of PTSD.
Rob Webster, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Operation Enduring Freedom, said the war has changed his own perceptions of himself. Webster served in the Air Force and was embedded with the Army in Iraq.
"I thought I was an amazing person before I left and now I think I'm incredible," Webster said. "It's not that I'm egotistical, it's that I'm more sensitive to the community. I'm a much better person and I would never have known that if it weren't for all the therapy to express myself to become a stronger man."
Nearly all the panelists and some audience members could empathize with finding unhealthy ways to move past their changes from military discipline to their rediscovered, undisciplined home lives, including "replacing their livers" by drinking and getting involved in short-lived, meaningless relationships.
Bill Baines, a TMCC professor at the Redfield campus and a Vietnam veteran, remembers his adjustment all too well after the despair faced by veterans of his generation.
"Marines are taught that they're harder," Baines said. "I thought I was letting someone down if I talked to someone for help. That took me approximately 35 years to get past."
But he also said he made friendships in that foreign country that he will never be able to create at home.
"(It's) the love, the closeness, the sharing," Baines said. "The camaraderie of the people you find in combat under terrible conditions. You never experience that again and that's one of the things I found missing most when I got back into the 'real world' again and it took me years and years again to get back into contact with them. ...We shared the closest love."
Baines praised the young men and women at the forum, remarking that even though it seems senseless for them to have to serve multiple tours, they deserve every honor from their nation.
"Going one time was enough for me; one time was probably three times for me," he said.
Varney said the discussion was good to help local veterans figure out how to get plugged into the community to provide understanding of their perspectives. He said he hoped the session would inspire them to brainstorm ways to invites others who need support with their transition. It would also benefit the civilian public that may lack understanding because they are afraid to hear violent war accounts.
"If you go to McDonald's and sit down at a table, you will starve to death before they bring you something to eat," Varney said, implying that the veterans community can’t sit and wait for civilian help. "There are things we can bring to the community. Let's invite them and allow them to engage in discourse and not scare them with combat stories."
Ellie