Veterans face many challenges when transitioning from the service. Those that have served shift from a fairly structured and ridged way of life to the less structured and more chaotic civilian life. Many veterans, especially those that have been in combat or have had to personally deal with catastrophic situations, have a very hard time adjusting and often require significant levels of assistance. Sadly many veterans fail to get help, either because they do not wish to appear weak or they are simply turned away.
Combat veterans are among the highest at risk for issues in transitioning form military life to civilian. Many potentially suffer from both physical and/or mental traumas. Many veterans and even active duty services members have allowed the unofficial culture of if you need mental or medical help you are weak. Many military families are also afraid of utilizing family support mechanisms out of fear of
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Anything that can impact military readiness can be reported to a member’s commanding officer. A sad result this as caused many a service member to become very distrustful of both mental health and family support personnel. Many civilian counselors have resorted to promising service members that requests for treatment will not be reported to their supervisors. Fortunately while the stigma still exists some progress has been made about shifting attitudes up and down the ranks towards getting the necessary help. (Hall, 2008) This attitude often stems from the fact that if a member, especially one in command of other service members, makes a bad judgment call due to having a mental health issue it could very well lead to a significant loss of both life and government property. Many view or used to view seeking the help of a mental health expert as showing the inability of making sound calls in the field. (Schreiber & McEnay,
Those who are veterans are those who fought in the wars and those who leaded the troops. Today we honor those who are no longer with us and those who are. We honor them because they fought and saved us from rivalries that were careless about us but our veterans stood up for us until we were safe. If you read history books about the american war you might’ve found that some men were under a lot of stress while training. But the thing that makes them special is they were the brave ones, some men didn’t meet the standards required but some men started training lifting those weights to meet those standards and try again. There are wise and caring people in the world and some times you may have to look for them because they are out
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
There are so many history stories in history books and on the internet, but the source from people who were actually there is so much better than reading the nonsense. It’s better to hear stories from people who have actually lived and witnessed it rather than just read stories about it. Most students listen better than they read. When you listen to stuff, it sticks in our mind way longer than looking at a book trying to figure out what’s going on. Veterans are an example of this. They tell us stories about the times they were in the training and when they battled, if they did or have already. They have always been an important part of our nation’s history, present, and future. Everyone who went into the military or is currently planning to join has or will have a story to tell. It will be a part of them that they will always remember, the good times and the bad times. So many veterans love telling all the experiences they have witnessed. Thinking of it, it’s not a bad thing; it’s a great thing to be able to say they were actually there. Many students ask what the training is like when they first join the military, although it’s really tough, many still consider going, some even make the commitment to join right after they graduate. Those who do make it, the commitment, are the reason our nation’s history and future is how it is and how
There is concern about military service members receiving stigma about getting or needing treatment in the area of mental health. Stigma occurs when individuals view others negatively because they have been labeled or identified as having a deviant behavior against societal norms; deviant behaviors such as mental illnesses or diagnoses uncommon or harmful to others. How does that impact the military? Military men and women alike are termed heroes, warriors, and survivors; this is quite the reputation to keep up. Military members go to war or deploy to hostile combat environments, which many come back with severe mental illnesses and diagnosis that need immediate care. At this point they may not feel like a hero. The terms psychological, mentally ill, PTSD, and behavioral health has gained a reputation as having or being a problem. Being labeled a problem is not what service members want. Many studies are trying to pinpoint the problem and resolve the stereotypes associated with getting treatment. Consequently, an individual’s attitude toward mental health treatment is thought to be affected by other people’s views on mental health care (Held & Owens, 2012).
Throughout history, many veterans suffer after fighting in wars, and millions of veterans have been killed or injured. Veterans do not necessarily get the treatments they deserve without paying a price. Taking care of veterans costs a lot and health care is needed for them. They need health care after serving, in order to treat their problems and injuries. Jobs are also important to veterans because they are jobless after fighting in wars, which leads them to be homeless. It is important for people who need help to get help. As of right now, the government has attempted to help veterans, but it may not be enough.
People often say that freedom is not free and that price has been paid by countless brave individuals. These brave individuals are known as veterans. Veterans should be remembered, respected and honored because of their sacrifices, courage, and patriotism.
In today's society where opinion matters, people have been extremely vocal about the lack of support the government has provided to our veterans. Many feel as if the government should do more, while others feel as if they are doing enough. Everyone will have a difference of opinion no matter if they have severed in the military or not. No matter how one may feel, is extremely important to take care of our veterans. As they have sacrificed their lives, time, and family to protect our country. Contrary to one's belief, the government provides a substantial amount of programs, which support the veterans. Honestly more could be done. On any given day you could see women and men standing on the corner holding signs implying they are homeless veterans and will work for food. A few programs the government offers our veterans are funding for mental health services, The Wounded Warrior Project and Vocational Rehabilitation and Education, which will be discussed throughout this essay. When you research the programs, they make it sound as if all proceeds are going towards the best treatment and care money could buy.
When I first started to research about how the American society helps discharged soldiers, I first wanted to know what type of help society offer to them. The article “10 Organizations that Help Veterans Transition to Civilian Life” published by Vista College helped me view a plethora of organizations that offer help to veterans. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) organization helps “connect veterans to one another and educate them on,” issues and benefits they could get when transitioning
How did a Vietnam soldier's life change during and after the war. Society had a lot of different views regarding the soldiers and the war. When coming home veterans faced many distinct challenges. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial helped to heal the nation. The Vietnam War had a major impact on the United States and the soldiers who fought in it.
Thank you for serving. I can not tell how glad I am that you served in either the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, or the Coast Guard. From any of the wars, WWI,WWII,The Korean War, Persian Gulf War, The War On Terrorism (Afghanistan), the Iraq War, and the Texas Revolution. Thank you for serving. I cannot say how thankful I am that you made the ultimate sacrifice. I have no idea what you have been through in war. I am so grateful that you fought so we could celebrate veterans day, memorial day and all other holidays that only the U.S celebrates.
One of the most serious problems facing all veterans today is the lack of proper healthcare. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are leaving active duty without having proper healthcare to cover their physical or mental injuries. The department responsible for veteran’s healthcare is the Department of Veterans Affairs. (VA) According to The department of Veterans Affairs website, “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational
The U.S Department Veteran’s Affairs (VA) provides a wide range of benefits for our service members, veterans and their families. Some of these benefits include but are not limited to include compensation, disability, education, and home loans. Throughout this paper I will discuss these benefits and the eligibility required to receive them. Eligibility for most VA benefits is based on type of discharge received through the military which is normally all discharges under other than dishonorable conditions.
There has been controversy about whether the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is taking care of their veterans or are resisting in recognizing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Union of Concerned Scientist found that the Department of Defense stated that, “The U.S. Army allegedly pressured psychologists not to diagnose Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to free the Army from providing long-term, expensive care for soldiers. The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has also been implicated in pressuring staff to misdiagnose veterans with the aim of cutting costs” (UCS). In result of not properly diagnosing the veterans, they are left unsure why treatment
Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that neither they nor their families, friends, or communities knew how to understand
A service member’s emotional and psychological issues are not like malfunctions of a piece of equipment and must not be treated as a troubleshooting problem in a technical manual. And yet this seems to be the only way the military, as a whole, knows how to address the issue of a service members mental health. It requires a holistic approach that is not currently embraced by the military. Historically, the military has been ill-equipped to handle the shifting nature of the psychological issues created by introducing a service member to the battlefield.