Vietnam vets face renewed stress, while Iraq vets get proactive

While the life of a surviving combat veteran goes on, they don't ever forget what they experienced. When watching HBO's excellent World War II miniseries, Band of Brothers, it's amazing to hear veterans say how their memories of combat and the death of friends are crystal clear some 50 years later. And watching HBO's recent Iraq War documentary, Baghdad ER, it is clear how combat and the trauma it creates, will effect not only the soldiers, but the doctors, nurses, clergy, and support personnel who treat the physically and mentally wounded. Of course, the families of casualties have their own issues, as they will have to deal with their changed loved ones who return from extended tours as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF; the Afghanistan theater).

Time does not heal mental wounds

In an article in today's Washington Post, writer Donna George tells of how the images and media reports of our current conflict are causing serious reactions by other veterans, in particular those form the Vietnam War. While the following survey results are not representative, look what one informal poll of vets found:

"PTSD researcher John P. Wilson, who oversaw a small recent survey of 70 veterans -- nearly all from Vietnam -- at Cleveland State University, said 57 percent reported flashbacks after watching reports about the war on television, and almost 46 percent said their sleep was disrupted. Nearly 44 percent said they had fallen into a depression since the war began, and nearly 30 percent said they had sought counseling since combat started in Iraq."

The new generation of vets gets proactive and leverages the media and Net to get support now

While Republican and Democratic politicians display their flag lapel pins and try and prove that they are more supportive of the troops than their political rivals, the veterans themselves know that making it out of a war zone is just the start. Reintegrating with a society after combat is difficult, and it is particularly hard in the US today where most non-military people seem oblivious to the war on days where there is no extreme violence or major loss of American life. But as the casualties continue to mount and the Bush Administration continues to be unable to answer the question of when American troops can come home in large numbers, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will find it harder to believe that their sacrifice was worth it. They need help and support, and they need to work together to get it.

In the age of the Internet, one of the benefits of technology is the ability to bring together geographically diverse groups of people, such as OIF and OEF veterans living all over the US. One organization out to proactively help veterans was created by veterans. IAVA, or the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, was founded by Paul Rieckhoff, a New York Army National Guard platoon commander who was in Baghdad for almost a year. His new book, Chasing Ghosts, offers a first-hand account of what one particular platoon faced in Iraq. It is not about how the military is infallible and how the soldiers all support the mission of Iraqi democracy and blindly follow the President. But it is not about making love and not war. These are soldiers. They want to do the job right and be supported and appreciated after the fact. The book is about the reality of the mess that is Iraq, and how the experience of being there changed the platoon commander and his men.

Besides being often amazed about what the platoon experienced, such as the lack of batteries for critical equipment, a shortage of vehicles, incompetent or self-absorbed superiors, and the obvious lack of enough troops to effectively control an increasingly out-of-control city, the reader learns about what it was like for Rieckhoff when he finally made it home. Whether it was trying to tackle a mugger in broad daylight when everyone else ignored the criminal, having no one even seem to care there was a war going on, or getting no respect from either of the 2004 Presidential candidates, Rieckhoff paints a bleak story of what a veteran faces from an emotional standpoint.

The good news is that he and many of his fellow vets (and other concerned non-vets) decided to start IAVA. And in a couple of recounted feel good moments, Rieckhoff and the group manage to help some veterans who can't cope on their own -- and who the system is not helping.


Check out IAVA for some more grit on the veteran's situation and mindset 

There's a section on IAVA Web site that everyone should peruse. It lists the top issues the group is trying to address, from the underfunding of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to the impact of depleted uranium munitions on our soldiers to the issue of honoring those killed as part of OIF and OEF. You would think that this list would be seen as an important, no-brainer to do for the Congress and President. Yet, according to these vets, there is a lot more the country should be doing for its returning soldiers.