Sustaining Our Commitment to Those Who Serve

Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and president of Give an Hour

Special to Veterans Advantage

A dear friend who is an executive with a very well respected nonprofit organization that assists the military community made a startling comment this week. He suggested that our country and our citizens have become weary of the war and, as a result, weary of responding to the needs of our returning troops and their families. He is worried about what this will mean as we attempt to care for those who serve over the coming months and years.

My friend made a compelling argument. He noted that we have been involved in military conflict for nearly a decade: in Afghanistan since September 11, 2001, and in Iraq since March 2003. While we have received regular updates from our presidents and military leaders during this time, most citizens would find it hard to articulate our accomplishments—not to mention our goals—as the fighting has continued. In addition, it is difficult for many of us to see a connection between the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and our safety here at home. After all, it has been nearly ten years since we were attacked on U.S. soil, since civilians died in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Penn. We have a relatively short attention span.

In addition to our short attention span, there are many compelling stories vying for our attention and our energy. Geopolitical crises occur on a regular basis, and because we are so seamlessly connected to the rest of the world, we have the ability to follow moment-by-moment developments in Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere. Sadly, we are also instantaneously aware of the horrific consequences of natural disasters that regularly ravage our planet—as well as the human suffering that follows. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Haitian earthquake of 2010, and the devastating tsunamis that crushed communities in 14 countries in December 2004 are powerful examples of the brutality of life.

Of course, we should be knowledgeable about and concerned for our fellow global citizens, regardless of their countries of origin, and we should open our hearts and our pocketbooks in response to humanitarian crises whenever and wherever they occur. But we must continue to return to the needs of our own military community; they are our sons, our daughters, our husbands, and our wives. They are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our students. No other country will step up to deliver assistance to them, so we must take care of our own.

The men, women, and families who serve our country need and deserve our attention, our understanding, our compassion, and our resources. Our military families have tolerated tremendous strain for a decade. Some who have deployed to the combat zone return home with visible injuries that will forever change their lives. In addition to the injuries that we can see, many return home with invisible injuries including post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. For these service personnel, the road to recovery can be extremely difficult and complicated. They must overcome a host of obstacles—such as the stigma associated with seeking mental health care and the difficulty of finding appropriate care—that can compromise their ability to heal and interfere with their ability to lead healthy and productive lives. Moreover, we know that these invisible injuries affect the service members’ loved ones. Spouses, children, parents, siblings, and partners all bear the consequences of war.

Those who serve are coming home to a country still struggling to recover from a deep recession. Many who have separated from the military are having difficulty finding a job. Indeed, the unemployment rate for veterans is higher than for the general population. Veterans are also entering the homeless community at an alarming rate. High unemployment across the country, military skills that may not transfer easily to the requirements of corporate America,  the understandable mental health consequences of war all contribute to an increased risk of homelessness among veterans.

Many in the civilian community might find it difficult to understand why these problems continue to exist for our service personnel, our veterans, and their families. Indeed, the civilian community has been very supportive of the men, women, and families who serve. At sporting events we applaud those who serve; to our cars we attach yellow-ribbon magnets on our cars; and yet we continue to hear stories of service members and veterans struggling, falling through the cracks, despite our government’s awareness of the need to commit resources to support those who serve. The current administration is clearly committed to caring for our military: indeed, President Obama announced a historic initiative in January. Strengthening Our Military Families: Meeting America’s Commitment outlines a coordinated and wide-ranging federal approach to supporting military families. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have held numerous meetings and developed many innovative programs, but still significant problems continue. Some might begin to wonder whether the issues that negatively affect our military families are too complex and too overwhelming to ever be addressed successfully.

And so I, too, am concerned that our citizens will tire of hearing about the needs of returning troops and their families and those we, as a country, will stop supporting the many critical efforts that currently exist to care for those who serve. While we Americans are extremely compassionate and generous, we are also results oriented—and we are, at times, very impatient. We like to see the immediate impact of our efforts. If we are brutally honest, we must admit that we don’t have a great track record of solving issues that are wide and deep and complex, such as poverty, homelessness, and discrimination.

For those of us—and thankfully there are many—committed to supporting our military community, we must embrace the challenge before us. We must behave as if we are running a marathon, for we will fail if we pretend that this is a sprint. We will fail if we pretend that solutions will come quickly or easily. We have to be realistic in our assessments, collaborative in our efforts, creative in our approaches, and relentless in telling the stories of the amazing men, women, and families who serve. These stories are powerful—and humbling. These stories will touch others. These stories will convince those who are willing and able to join us on this critical mission.

Give an Hour, providing free mental health services to military personnel and their loved ones, at www.giveanhour.org.

Editors Note: Give an Hour is a strategic partner of Veterans Advantage. Learn more about our partnership with Give an Hour.

Veterans Advantage is also hosting a special online PTS Transition Center for its members, with customized news and resources to help in this vital area.