Since 9/11, 1.9 to 3 million active service members have served in war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of these veterans have been deployed in harm’s way more than once. Now that our military, in many cases, are back home from Afghanistan and the surrounding areas, we have an increasing number of veterans returning to civilian life. As a result, 1.8 million veterans have an officially recognized disability and are living with physical and emotional scars. Even more shocking is the research compiled by the Cost of War Project at Brown University, which found that an estimated 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans have died by suicide since 9/11. It is essential to understand what challenges they face during reintegration and what resources assist them with coping. There are 3 Mistakes Veterans Should Avoid While Reintegrating into Society. They are the failure to understand the workforce climate, the problem with readjusting to family, and the reality of mental health issues they may be dealing with each day.
Mistake #1 The Failure to Understand the Workforce Climate.
18% of returning veterans from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq report having difficulty holding a job. Why would that be? Many veterans have found it challenging to maintain civilian jobs after coming home from harm’s way. They cannot undergo proper therapy to decompress from being in a high-stress, tense environment. Therefore, they find it difficult to readjust to civilian life. PTSD has been shown to affect employee performance and can eventually result in more job loss if not dealt with immediately. Job turnover, work absences, difficulty with working with coworkers even difficulty finding a job contribute to the declining mental health of many veterans. The United States Government will need to continue implementing and funding robust plans for therapeutic reintegration programs for veterans.
Mistake #2 Readjusting to Family
Although deployments vary from branch to branch, the typical deployment is six to twelve months. During that time, a soldier deployed with his military family; the dynamics were very different from the civilian family dynamics. Although hard to explain, it exists. What you say, talk about, and experience with your deployed military family are not the same conversations you may have with your civilian family unit. Here in lies the problem or disconnect. As soldiers come home from combat, they face readjusting to family life. The readjustment can be difficult as all family members must redefine roles and expectations, manage strong emotions, and transition from a wartime mindset to intimacy and patience. Many veterans don’t want their families to see them as having mental health issues, so they become withdrawn and isolated. They alienate themselves from family and find themselves suffering from loneliness and depression. At this point, this can build to feeling like they are no longer needed by their family, contributing to more stress and potential violence. No one wants to feel helpless and hopeless. These are ingredients for suicide, but help is only a phone call away.
Mistake #3 Not Seeking Help for Mental Health Issues
Did you know 1 in 5 Americans have some type of mental health issue? Mental health issues were frowned upon and looked down on for a long time, but recent research shows that it is more prevalent than you think. The mind is fragile. It can think of new ideas, create and build things we would never believe, and change negativity to positive, successful actions. However, it is also as fragile as an eggshell. When our minds experience long-term damaging and emotional trauma, the human mind can become scarred by what has been seen, heard, felt, and experienced. The human mind is clever! It can make people believe everything is alright until it recognizes similar trauma as combat and returns to the moment of stress and survival. It is imperative that every soldier, before they reintegrate into society, go through more structured and formal mental evaluations, even to the point of it performed by civilian organizations. There need to be more post-military therapeutic sessions for veterans to reestablish their lives in their community and family. Based on a 2020 survey, PTSD has affected 83% of all US veterans and active-duty service men and women since 9/11. It is the second-most reported severe mental injury sustained during combat.
Resolution: What are the next steps?
Knowing how to avoid these three mistakes while reintegrating into society will help mitigate the challenges, hurt, broken families, and loss of life experienced since 9/11. Here’s how you can help! If you are married to a veteran, a family member of a veteran, a friend of a veteran, or maybe you are the veteran who is experiencing moments when you no longer feel yourself, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. The VA has a Hotline that Veterans can call at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 to reach the Crisis Line. 24/7, confidential support is always available. If you are seeking a Support Group, please don’t hesitate to register for our upcoming class or our newsletter, which can educate you more about Mental Health.
