Counseling

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the longest combat operations since Vietnam. After more than 9 years, my son is officially out of the U.S. Army. 

With three full tours in Iraq, equaling 3 years and 3 months, my son is home now, with a full medical discharge and many sessions of counseling that have already been started.  As to how long his counseling will be, it is all based on how he progresses.

When my son came home from his first tour in Iraq, he reassured me all was “OK”.  He seemed “normal”, no complaining.  He spoke highly of the civilians and how the Iraqi’s wanted our help to protect their families.  My son did not speak much about what happened in Iraq.  He had a security clearance, so I did not question much about what went on there.

The second tour was a different story.  He would get short and angry when he called.  I could not ask many questions.  As time went on, the anger, the impatience, the negative behavior became more noticeable until help was finally on its way – after tour three.

Clinicians identify the pattern: the anger, the alcohol, and the fear of emotion (Roger, 2008).  In this  study, the psychologists try to overcome some of these issues by using virtual reality exposure therapy on the soldiers, over time, by simulating a military convoy in Iraq as a treatment. By this they can identify their symptoms, their behaviors and work with each soldier individually.  

Reger, G. M. (2008, August Issue 8). Virtual reality exposure therapy for active duty soldiers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, pp. 940-946.

Introduction

The purpose of my blog is to reach out to others to really and truly understand the ramifications and/or consequences of serving in the military to serve and protect our country.  I am not against our soldiers protecting the United States of America.  For the military to serve and protect, this has become a real question in the recent media.  Every day, soldiers will join various military branches.  They will become full trained, armed and ready to serve and protect The United States of America.

My youngest son proudly joined the United States Army, graduating boot camp the Saturday before 9/11/01.  As we all know, the days that followed were filled with horror and memories that will never go away.  Nine years later, 2010, proud soldiers, both men and women, along with my son, are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD.

It took a while for my son to get officially out.  With all the red tape and with two wars going on, the War in Iraq, also known as Operation Iraqi Freedom and the War in Afghanistan, also known as Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), we are wearing our soldiers thin.  It is when the circumstances, due to the length of time in a war-torn territory or in some cases two war-torn territories, that the military needs to re-evaluate how much is too much for our soldiers, our families, and our nation.  Military commanders have to decide who will get medical attention and who will have to wait.