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Supporting Our Soldiers

By Gregory A. Helle

Recently I met a boy, a Marine who had returned from Iraq. He spent his leave constantly drinking. He went back on duty, doing only what he had to, and drinking his nights away. His "I don't give a damn" attitude caused an event to happen that has put him in the brig for five years, five years without the real help he needs for the traumas he experienced. I met another boy who was raped in the Navy and later beat his rapist. He ended in the brig and received a dishonorable discharge. Again, no help for his trauma. I also met a young female soldier who was in Iraq. She saw way too much and then was wounded. She has severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Will she get the help she needs to help her experience the life she fought for? There is also the returning vet who was a good family man, respected in his community, holding down a good job. After he came home, his marriage disintegrated, he lost his job, and he was arrested six times for alcohol-related offenses. They found him hanging from a bridge. What are we doing to our children? What are we doing for our heroes? I understand them, because I am one of them.

As I drive through my community I see the flags and bumper stickers that say "Support our Troops" and "Pray for our Troops." This is good, but it seems to only have meaning while the troops are a world away from us — not when they return home. Soldiers are facing a very real fear that they will come home different people then the ones who left. If you have been in combat, if you have been raped by a comrade-in-arms, you know why. I have seen this side of life, and I know it is hard for people to understand unless they have experienced it for themselves. When our heroes return from Afghanistan and Iraq, after putting their lives on the line for our country, we owe them whatever we can do. Without the heroes of war, we would not be free, and all who go to war are heroes.

Bureaucracy prevents so many from getting help. This causes them to live isolated, afraid of the very people who were their friends and family. Forty percent of the homeless in our country are veterans. Suicide is an epidemic among veterans of all wars. What can you do? I can advise you from my own experience how best to bring about change. Sure, you can write your senators and congressmen, to request the Department of Veterans Affairs be more supportive for our soldiers. But more importantly, you can learn more about the problem and get involved. The next PTSD victim may be a friend or a member of your family.

I am the chaplain for a nonprofit organization called PTSD Alliance (www.ptsd-alliance.org) which provides peer counseling to help those suffering with PTSD. Often, it is easier for a PTSD survivor to talk to someone who has been there. This has been my role for several years after facing and dealing with PTSD myself. I am assisted by dozens of volunteers, but there is so much support needed for those who are unaware that our support exists. There is a brick wall between the PTSD Alliance and the public, the churches, the corporations, and the politicians.

PTSD is a disease that few in the public sector know anything about. Even fewer of us have any desire to learn more about what we have many times referred to as "battle fatigue" or "shell shock." I have written two books about PTSD and its effects. It is not pretty, but it is reality.

We as Americans have an obligation to those who protect our freedom. Too many of us take those freedoms for granted. I plead with all Americans to support the needs of these new veterans; these new heroes. Give of your time, give of your money, write letters — do something to make sure we do not have another lost generation. And in every way possible, learn about this debilitating disease and help our returning heroes cope with the world they find after war. Thank you.