The Emotional Toll of Deployment
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”- José Narosky
We have sent soldiers around the world to protect us, but do we know of how this affects them? One would become to feel disconnected from all they know. One would also begin to need supplies and lose motivated to continue their task. Thus, it is imperative that we, the ones being protected by the soldiers, help provide these necessary items. Thousands of United States Soldiers, after being deployed for long periods of time, begins to lack needed items such as: Chap Stick, sunblock, vitamins, bug spray, and toiletries. By sending care packages overseas, with items such as those previously listed, one would be able to raise their spirits.
With being out in the middle of combat, soldiers see traumatizing scenes. Therefore it would not be uncommon for those soldiers to develop cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. These people experience night terrors, have difficult times trying to do normal work, and have challenging attempts at sleeping. Some experience separation anxiety because they are away from their family.
“You get depressed because you don’t have much contact with the people you’re so used to being around. Once you’re away, you have to get used to your fellow troops being your family. It’s easier that way.” (Jones)
Many do not even realize what their time away has done to their thinking process and mind, until they get home that is. Deployed men and women, due to the lack of communication, begin to feel as if everyone home has forgotten about them. This causes them to become disheartened and low-spirited. A study showed that ”20 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans turn to heavy...
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PBS’ Frontline film “The Wounded Platoon” reviews the effects the Iraq war has had on soldiers as they return home and transition back into civilian life, focusing particularly on the rise in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American military members from Fort Carson Army base (Edge, 2010). Incidents of PTSD have risen dramatically in the military since the beginning of the Iraq war and military mental health policies and treatment procedures have adapted to manage this increase (Edge, 2010). In “The Wounded Platoon,” many military personnel discuss how PTSD, and other mental health struggles, have been inadequately treated (if at all) by military mental health services. Reasons and Perdue’s definition of a social problem allows us to see inadequate treatment of PTSD among returning United States military members as a social problem because it is a condition affecting a significant number of people in undesirable ways that can be remedied through collective action (Reasons & Perdue, 1981).
That is to say that both post traumatic stress disorder and physical disabilities are issues that many soldiers have to deal with once they return home from war. Mental affects on veterans can vary person to person. Events l...
There you stand over the body of a fallen friend, a brother or sister in arms. You are asking yourself why them, why not you? What could have I done to save them? That is when you wake up, sweating, panting. It was just a night terror, yet it feels the same as the day they died, even though it has been ten years. This is just one of the many emotional scars soldiers of war face. Though why do we go to war when this is the cost? For many it is because they are unaware of the psychological cost of war, they are only aware of the monetary cost. Tim O 'Brien addresses the true cost of war in The Things They Carried. O 'Brien suggests that psychological trauma caused by war impedes daily life in young Americans drafted into the Vietnam war. He does
Within a recent context, the intangible, and often dismissed damage that war inflicts on a soldier’s mental health, has been reaffirmed and reexamined. The invisible injuries of war, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression, have proven to be as deadly as noticeable damage, such as infections or wounds. This issue of the mental health has been given an increased importance in light of the gruesome influx of suicides and murders committed by unstable returning soldiers. With the potential increase of the United States’ military involvement in the Middle East being a relevant issue, it is incredibly important for all people, from those with direct power to those who have the sole power of their voice, to thoroughly understand the potential long-term repercussions that are involved with war, before committing men and women to fight in this conflict. Most crucially, society must ensure that proper care and services are made easily accessible for returning soldiers, in order to assist with their successful transition back to civilian
Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of possible preventative measures and treatment options. All of these findings are backed by extensive research through media, web, and journal references.
Seal, Karen H., Daniel Bertenthal, Christian R. Miner, Saunak Sen, and Charles Marmar. "Bringing the War Back Home: Mental Health Disorders Among 103 788 US Veterans Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Seen at Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities." Archives of Internal Medicine 167.5 (2007): 476-82. Print.
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Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one wink because every time you close your eyes you are forced to relive memories from the past that you are trying to bury deep. This is what happens to the unfortunate men and women who are struggling with PTSD. Veterans that are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder deserve the help they need.
Seal, K. H., Bertenthal, D., Miner, C. R., Sen, S., & Marmar, C. (2007). Bringing the War Back Home: Mental Health Disorders Among 103 788 US Veterans Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Seen at Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167(5), 476-482. doi: 10.1001/archinte.167.5.476
Lamie’s experience depicts a brief glimpse of some of the traumatic events veterans face when serving. Experiences like John Lamie’s causes many veterans to return home with physical injuries and mental injuries such as missing limbs, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Author Lawrence Korb in his book “Serving America’s Veterans: A Reference Handbook” elaborates on specific mental
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Reece, Beth. "Invisible Wounds of War." Soldiers (2005): 1. Ebsco Host. Web. 12 Apr 2011.
...y need in order to live a happy and healthy rest of their life. Just by reading this article it allows you into a whole new world of the military, something deeper than what we see from the outside world. At first when one reads this article they might find it biased and not very beneficial, but once they present the data tables you see the numbers and it blows your mind to see how many veterans are suffering from posttraumatic disorder. The presentation of the evidence and the way the argument is presented is in a well-organized manner for any reader to follow along. “ Mental Health in Deployed and Non-deployed Veteran Men and Women in Comparison With their Civilian Counterparts,” is a reliable source due to the academic presentation which includes data, personal interviews, qualified sources and a balanced argument that have points that support their argument.
While defending their country in wars, thousands of brave souls perish, forcing their loved ones to move on without them. Others are lucky compared to these soldiers because they get to return home suffering from minor things such as disease, injury, or nightmares. In combat, warriors are forced to see horrific things that scar them mentally for the rest of their lives. Others are scarred physically and are constantly reminded of their treacherous memories from serving in the military. Often times, sleeping turns into a hassle for the veterans because they re-live the atrocities that occurred on the battlefield. Many people come back home needing psychiatrists to cope with the emotions racing through their body.
American Veterans experienced war-related trauma in Vietnam.(Friedman, 1998) The war traumas included being on frequent or prolonged combat missions in enemy territory, encountering ambushes and...