Coming Home from War Is No 4th of July Picnic
I'll never forget my Independence Day at war. On July 4, 2003, I was in Baghdad, preparing to return home with my infantry platoon after six months fighting Saddam's Army and an insurgency that was just beginning to exact its toll on coalition forces. On that day, however, my expectations were thwarted, as my men and I were notified that our combat tour would be extended indefinitely. So instead of enjoying fireworks stateside, my unit watched AK tracer trails zip across the sky, walked patrols instead of parades, and ate MREs instead of hot dogs.
Many Americans will never see the inside of a Humvee on the Fourth of July. Instead, they will enjoy three-day weekends capped by barbecues, block parties, and roman candles. I'm extremely proud to be an American, but real patriotism is more than just picnics. And anyone who has served in any war will tell you that.
Ironically, for veterans, the Fourth of July can be a difficult holiday to celebrate. With every uniform that marches by in parades, we remember our friends that did not make it home. The sounds of fireworks remind us of incoming mortar rounds. And as large crowds gather to celebrate America's birthday, we sometimes find ourselves scanning the masses for potential danger.
But the impact of war isn't limited to July 4th.
In case you haven't been tracking the figures, our military is in crisis-mode, trying to fend off a silent killer among its ranks. Almost 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are suffering from mental health injuries like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and less than half are receiving the help they need. Left untreated, the ramifications are clear: divorce, substance abuse, unemployment, and suicide.
Already, we've lost as many soldiers to suicide this year as to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. This frightening trend has triggered military stand-downs, and finally gotten the attention of the media. The alarm has been sounded. But our troops are still waiting on real action from Washington. And families of servicemembers like Specialist Joshua Omvig from Gillette, Wyoming--who suffered in silence until combat stress led him to take his own life--are left wondering what could have been.
The military must take immediate steps to reduce unnecessary stress on the force, and our nation's lawmakers must also take an active role. For months, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been petitioning lawmakers on Capitol Hill to include a provision in the Pentagon's annual defense bill that would provide mandatory mental health screenings by licensed mental health professionals to all servicemembers. These screenings would go a long way towards reducing the stigma associated with mental health injuries, and identifying those that need care the most.
In just a few weeks, Congress will recess for the summer, and before they do, they must have ensured that every returning veteran gets the care they deserve.
Six years ago today, my men and I held the hand of a fledgling democracy as it struggled for its own independence. This week, I watched as U.S. troops pulled back from towns and cities in Iraq as Iraqis celebrated their own "National Sovereignty Day." For Americans, this means that more troops will be coming home, and for that, we should be thankful. But we must be ready to welcome them. Parades and applause are nice, but real support comes in the form of robust mental health care for our returning troops.
As we celebrate the birth of our great nation, it's time to appropriately honor those who have stood on the front lines of freedom and sacrificed in the name of liberty. Every second Congress wastes, more lives are on the line.
Crossposted at IAVA.org.
Follow Paul Rieckhoff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PaulRieckhoff
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PTSD must be treated as a real disease,it is no different then having an illness or a problem that you can see. I am tired of people acting partiotic and then not truly caring about our brave men and women who have served this country.Great post!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
The nation that has sent its youth into harm's way is obligated to support each as he/she returns from the trauma of the war zone.
Paul, my only objection to your post is found in your last paean to the traditional policy line--at least how it has been represented for a very long time now. I know it is July 4 and all of that. But the conflicts we have been engaged in are not about America's freedom, and they have nothing to do with the defense of liberty.
No one I know of outside the US is threatening its freedom or liberty. Those two values have more to do with domestic and constitutional issues than they do with our current wars.
911 was a criminal, murderous attack. It did not, however, threaten America's freedom or liberty. Rather, the politicians who guided us into this operation--as well as into VietNam--are the ones who are threatening America's freedom and liberty.
Paul, thank you for your service to our country, both while you were in the military and since your discharge.
Thank you Sir for your service. Today , Im remembering my father. He was a "guest" of the Germans for over 2 years. Until the day he died (82) he still woke up occassionally screaming.
That is so tragic, and I believe is becoming more common for our older vets. I worked with men who had served in world wars and had been able to somehow hold their demons at bay. But as they got older, many with Alzheimer's, their short term memories started to fail and the memories of war took over. My heart goes out to your father, and all those who bring such horrors home with them.
PTSD is an inevitable result of the stress of war. Certainly it is necessary and reasonable to ask that mental health care be made available to returning veterans, but there is something else we should do. We should never send our people to war when the war does not need to be fought, and when we do go to war, we should do it in a way that results in the maximum benefit and the least downside.
Most soldiers involved in Afghanistan and Iraq are too close to the action to be able to stand back and look at the big picture, but looking at the big picture is what needs to be done in order to minimise all kinds of deaths and injuries.
In Afghanistan, our leadership should have been competent enough to listen to the senior people on the ground back in 2001, who asked for a few thousand American troops to surround Tora Bora and wipe it out. To those of us back home, it is not hard to condemn the short-sighted Washington decision that resulted in most of al Qaeda escaping. Once bin Laden was killed or captured, we could have removed most of our troops, instead of engaging in a long term conflict with the Taliban.
In Iraq, our leadership should never have lied and misled us into a war of choice. The cost in American and Iraqi lives has been horrendous, and the three trillion dollar price tag is crippling to our economy.
Bring them home and continue to pay them for a few years, I would think. Have them do half day of construction work on the infrastructure of America and a half day of rest around a pool (no alcohol or durgs) and lots of group sharing and counseling.
Yes, make it mandatory for everyone, a way for all to slowly detox from the horrors of war and slowly become regular citizens again.
Thanks for writing this piece I hope through this article more Americans will see how difficult life is for us after our service. Not only on the fourth but the stressful life we face each day and our families that have to live it with us.
What can I do to help?
So True. Soldiers don't like to admit that they have mental health issue as they don't want to appear weak or leave their units. It may be possible that the count could be as high as 40% of our combat warriors could have the symptoms related to PTSD. I asked one of my soldiers who served 4 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan how many of his brothers he suspected had PTSD in his unit and he said: ALL of Them.
Several of our soldiers would like to become mental health specialists following their treatment in our program and help evaluate and refer soldiers who return from war. They have first hand experience and know what it feels like to admit that they need help with their PTSD and TBI.
When is enough, enough when it comes to being deployed over and over again? And, let's get rid of the slogans that "Families Come First"! It's a miracle that families can survive these mental health 'disorders.'
Paul -- Thank you so much for this sobering reminder.
You have my respect and admiration -- as do all of the soldiers returning home.
For me, for as long as I can remember, July 4th has been more of a day of memorial to those who have fought for our country, than is Memorial Day.
I guess it's seeing the V.F.W. posts, and other veteran's groups' entries in the parades that give me that feeling.
My thoughts today will be with all those who have served, or are currently serving our country so nobly.
Keep banging the drum brother.
War ain't no football game.
Thanks for your continuing advocacy for our soldiers suffering with mental health injuries. We need more programs like the Ft. Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center where our wounded warriors are given 6 months of treatment, follow-up, and health care services for them and their families. We are completing our 2nd year as the Army's premiere PTSD mental health program and over 60% of our soldiers are returning, fit-for-duty. Many may have to have their MOS changed as their physical injuries may prevent them from serving in combat.
Unfortunately, our program is experimental and we can only enroll 30 soldiers at a time. Paul, we appreciate that you support our troops and keep these traumatic mental health issues in the forefront. All of our wounded warriors deserve these quality health programs that treat the whole person, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If we don't treat these high risk soldiers we will only continue to see more suicides and other catastrophic events.
Our troops deserve the best we have to offer as a nation, no matter what the cost.
Paul : Thank You for all your hard work to bring proper medical attention to out returning Troops.
I will continue to push our Representatives for their attention to your issues.
I will continue to back you in your endeavours to help your fellow Service People.
Thank You for your continued vigilance... And have a happy Independence Day.
More to follow. -ralph
"As we celebrate the birth of our great nation, it's time to appropriately honor those who have stood on the front lines of freedom and sacrificed in the name of liberty."
Therein lies the reason why incessant abuses of the words "freedom" and "liberty" now infuse a sound similar to fingernails on a chalkboard, for such cliches have been uttered in such mindless repetition as a substitute for "what ever Americans fight for", that nobody remembers the actual meaning of these words anymore.
For the last time, fighting in the name of the stars and stripes does not a cause for "freedom" and "liberty" make, and the rest of us would be doing a disservice to you and your comrades by trying to convince you that sacrifices entailed in wars doctored under the Bush regime were anything other than in vain
Paul's write-up is about those whom have served and are coming home with PTSD. In the least, we should respect what he's saying and not change the subject. Whether you agree with the war or not, these soldiers deserve quality care and treatment -- Period.
I cry every week as I watch This Week on ABC Sunday morning and see the list of our war casualties and know that many others are grievously wounded, in mind and body.
What a senseless and shameful situation we are in thanks to lies. We have lost far more than can ever be calculated in comparison to 9/11. Sure, it was a terrible moment in our history, no doubt, but the previous administration compounded it in so many ways. No one mentions our financial debt that is also linked to this unjustified situation.
We had the world with us and look what we have now.....Tragic.......Keep up the good work, Paul. I am hoping for sanity some day and for men to realize that no one wins in war.
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