Life After Iraq

[thedrifter]

November 11, 2005
Life After Iraq
By KEVIN DENNEHY
STAFF WRITER

DENNIS - Twice already in recent weeks Matt Emery has taken his friends to see ''Jarheads,'' the new movie about Gulf War-era Marines and the bonds they formed in battle.

Veterans from the Vietnam era had their own movies, like ''Platoon,'' says Emery, a Marine from Dennis. This is the soundtrack for Iraq veterans.

And sure enough, for Emery the movie brought back memories of the dust and dirt, loneliness and exhilaration, and, most of all, the precious letters from home.

Two years since he returned from Iraq after a nearly fatal head injury, Emery is part of the new generation of American military veterans.

He is 22 years old.

''(The movie) didn't hit me the way I thought it was going to hit me, but afterward I called my friends from the Corps,'' he said. ''We're all friends, and all have brothers over there.

''It's not a joke over there.''

For the first time since the Vietnam era, a sizable percentage of an American generation tested in combat is returning from war, and now readjusting to life at home.

More than 430,000 living veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan have returned from active-duty service already, with many more still in the service at home or overseas.

A good part of this new generation was born in the 1980s, and is just a few years removed from high school graduation.

''I don't even think of myself as a veteran,'' said Michael Amster, a 23-year-old Marine from Hyannis who returned last year from a tour spent largely on the outskirts of Fallujah.

''I think of veterans as those guys in their 70s, somebody like my grandfather, who hangs out at the VFW and chats with the other guys.

''I just think of myself as a guy who did his job.''

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States is home to more than 18.1 million living war veterans.

Sidney Chase, a Vietnam veteran who is now a veterans agent in towns from Wareham to Truro, has dealt with many of the returning soldiers from the latest war. Like veterans from previous wars, he said, they face complex challenges.

For some, especially National Guard soldiers activated long term, it's the loss of jobs when they return. There's also reintegration into a household where a spouse has assumed most duties.

And coming to terms with what they've been through.

''There are a lot of little things you don't think about that all of a sudden become a big issue,'' said Chase, an Army veteran who was in Vietnam from February 1968 until May 1969.

''It's like a new way of life, and people don't realize.''

Too busy to worry
From February 2004 until last October, Michael Amster, 23, manned an armored vehicle in Iraq as part of the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

On more occasions than he can count, his crew would assist in missions that included seeking out insurgents in Fallujah, and the security of high-risk roadways where threats loomed on every corner.

His time in Iraq was marked by some of the bloodiest months for American troops, but Amster says it wasn't so bad as people make it out to be. Trying to do the job, he said, left little time to worry about getting hurt.

Yet in that time, he was nearly killed at least twice. Once an explosive blew him back into his vehicle during a six-hour firefight. Later, he survived the explosion of several 8 mm mortars that landed within 20 feet.

Today, he's back in Hyannis. There's still a ringing in his ear that he says isn't uncommon given the vehicles and weapons he dealt with.

And he's weighing his future options. He spent a week with the VA, learning about benefits and job training opportunities.

''I'm not sure what I'll do yet,'' he said. ''Maybe something in civil service. It's just an environment I'm comfortable in.''

A push on hiring
Jim Benson, a spokesman for Veterans Affairs, says the government has tried to learn from the lessons of Vietnam, such as avoiding the use of large, daunting buildings to assist in the transition.

Instead, they've tried to handle benefits explanations in ''street-front'' centers and put more emphasis on mental health.

Now they're trying to do better at explaining education opportunities or even job guidance, although the numbers suggest more has to be done.

According to recent VA statistics, an increasing percentage of returning veterans find themselves unemployed, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 24. The average monthly number of unemployed veterans in the first quarter of 2005 was 43,000, compared with the 2004 average of 33,000.

''The VA is looking to lead government, the public and private sectors into taking a look at hiring,'' Benson said. ''These veterans are teachable and they're motivated. They react well under stress and have the work skills that employees look to.''

On Cape Cod, Chase advises returning soldiers to take advantage of a two-year window to get into the VA system, and register any physical strains that may have occurred during their tour.

Those physical aches or pains may not seem like much in your 20s, he said, but they could become larger issues in decades to come. So it's good to have them documented.

Finding a purpose
Emery, the Dennis Marine wounded in the spring of 2003, is still finding his way back into everyday life. Veterans Affairs classifies him 80 percent disabled, though that will be reassessed in six months.

After returning to the Cape he worked several months for a construction company. He ended a brief attempt at Cape Cod Community College after suffering a seizure in class.

Now he hopes to go to school to learn furniture making. In the meantime, he's spent much of the fall working his father's cranberry bogs. And soon he'll spend more time on his glass-blowing company, ''Memery Glass Blowing,'' through which he sells ornate Christmas ornaments for $15 apiece.

Emery has set up a studio in a barn on his father's cranberry farm off Route 6A in Dennis. As he fired up his burner one afternoon this week, a mixed CD played in the background, and he talked about the future.

''So much has gone on, but I'm enjoying life right now,'' he said. ''I've given up something. But I can still move forward and try different things.''

Kevin Dennehy can be reached at kennehy@capecodonline.com.

Ellie

http://p089.ezboard.com/bthefontmanscommunity

[SurferDave]

Thanks "theDrifter" for this posting. I have spoken with returning veterans in my home town, Sacramento, California, and I have heard from many how they are searching for directions to go. Non of these vet's seem disturbed by their current situation, but I see much of the intentional drive I had when I re-entered civilian life (the real world).
"I try not to offer people advise. I had to find my own way."
So, I only offer encouragement. When I came home, I found myself feeling just a bit left-out. For me it was more of missing my Corps and the friends I made there.
There was some concern about being able to 'make-it' out here. Why? I don't know. I look back and wonder why I ever felt concerned.
My Marine Corps training and experience created in me something I rarely see in the civilian work place. After-all, we are Marines! We adapt and overcome. We are use to using leaky, greasy and very well used equipment and making it work. We think on our feet and react quickly. Yes, that has caused me minor troubles, but I have learned that talking to my fellow workers and customers, (communicating) my intensions produces excellent results.
Like most veterans, I don't discuss my experiences much. But, Let-em know you are a Marine. Most of the time people are suprised and intreaged. Yeah, we are not baby killers; just humans with an exceptional ability to deal with the world around us.
I always wish the best to returning veterans, and hey, you can do ANYTHING you want to. Just be patient, it will come.
My last comment is: I have NEVER found a better employee than a Marine!
Sincerely, David C. Jones
Simper Fidelis

[junker316]

Thanks Drifter. I have just recently decidedd to go see the movie. I was worried that all the troubles and sh$& would resurface. I don't want that to be seen by my family. They alreeady try to understand me enough.

[DevilDog0811]

It's hard to adapt and overcome PTSD. Most choose counseling, some deal with it, most drink heavily, and a few use various narcotics.

Speaking for myself, I pick alcohol.