There are so many soldiers who go to war and come back damaged in some way. No one is by definition perfect, but the stress and trauma that these soldiers endure can cause them to return in a state that places them outside of the accepted peculiarity of the everyday person. Not all soldiers would care to admit that they are not the same person who left months, or even years before. They would prefer for those who are closest to them to view them as they once were prewar. The soldiers have had so much change and instability that for a while, when they first return home, all they want is the security of normalcy. This need of theirs can often stifle the realization that something in their minds is amiss. The idea that they were too weak to handle the immense pressures of war and battle plague them. Soldiers are ashamed that they allowed the past to negatively affect their present.² If the soldiers confess to having problems coping with their war experiences and adjusting to civilian life, then they would have to own up to the façade they tried so hard to pass off. The soldiers are afraid that their families and friends will treat them differently and refuse to seek the professional help they need. This is a serious problem and needs to be addressed.³ The stigma that the soldier as person becomes defective or is weak for seeking psychiatric help needs to be obliterated. These men and women are some of the best examples of strength personified that we have and there needs to be total support of them trying to reclaim a happy and productive life. When help is avoided soldiers can become depressed and begin to use tobacco and alcohol in excess¹. They’ve given and sacrificed too much for their lives to amount to what many would call nothing. Everyone needs to be onboard with them receiving the best help and support available. The message should go from being “You weren’t tough enough to get a grip on yourself” to “You were brave enough to get help and for that you will come out stronger.” Let’s support our troops not only when they are overseas but once they return home as well, where it’s still needed.
¹http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/overview-mental-health-effects.asp
²http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-02-28-cover-iraq-injuries_x.htm
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