The Moral Logic Of Survivor Guilt

Throughout history, war has been one of the few constants that has never changed, because of this many have tried to aid those affected by it. In America, the Department of Veterans Affairs(VA) was created in order to specifically help veterans as they return from their service overseas. However, a few decades ago, the VA seemed to have failed in their goal during arguably one of the most important wars in American history. The mission statement, originally spoken by President Abraham Lincoln was: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.” The mission statement brings up values of integrity and loyalty to America’s veterans, however

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

INTRODUCTION: How many people have a Veteran in their family or know one? If yes do you help them or is it someone else’s problem. Well many people think it’s someone else problem, but the truth is it’s our problem.

Fatal disasters are terrible by nature, and although the physical aftershocks are dreadful the emotional ones can be as well. The feeling of guilt that come to the survivors afterwards is known as survivor’s guilt, and it is a very painstaking mental process. Survivor's guilt is something largely disputed due to it's personal and terrible nature. Although it may seem like a horrendous thing for a person to endure it may be necessary for a person to heal and come terms with the tragedy they were involved in. Without guilt people involved in fatal tragedies would be less human, because it is human nature to go through grievances after tragedies even if they were not directly involved. Survivor’s guilt is the natural way of dealing with grief and the feeling of not having done enough to have prevented more loss or any at all. Some believe it is to cruel of a way to heal after all the person had been through, but they do not realize the development emotionally that occurs while haunted by the guilt. Survivor’s guilt was created by human nature to heal emotionally even after the physical event has occurred.

All of us make sacrifices, but consider the sacrifices made by veterans. How many soldiers willingly leave their worried families behind? Missing life’s experiences such as the birth of a baby or celebrating a favorite holiday impacts a veteran’s life in a way that we can hardly comprehend. Many years are spent without the comforts of their home and yet they still go out on the battlefield knowing their lives are at stake fighting to grant us our freedoms.

Having your life in danger is something that not many people can imagine. You only get one life and when it is endangered you panic. By instinct the first thing you do is call for help and hope that someone comes. But what about the lives of rescuers that come to help. Uncountable numbers of rangers, firefighters, police, etc. have died trying to save people when there lives are endangered. On top of that who puts in the money? Rescues can cost thousands of dollars and who pays for that? You may be surprised but everyone pays for the rescue of people who put themselves at risk through tax dollars. It isn’t fair that we have to give up our hard earned money for the mistakes of others. People should have to pay for their own SAR. People should

But all family members need time to readjust their live style in order to reintegrate that one lost family member back. But issues begin to fly once that member falls into a mental illness, he/she begins to become different then before the war and the family begins not be able to recognize who this new fellow is, either the family or the individual will separate from the other. The separation is due to fear and because there wasn’t any idea of how to reproach each other after the length of war. Some cases are different, like a wounded soldier that no longer has a limb might cause insecurity by the veteran and might make him/her feel as if his/her family might not receive the back because they feel incomplete. Most family issues occur because families don’t know how to confront the situation at hand and tend to hope that in the long run everything will be just okay. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), family members commonly react with avoidance, may enter a stage of depression, and create a sense of anger and guilt. Family members feel the same grind as of the afflicted veteran, and so they respond by devoting themselves entirely to care for that love one but during this process of helping their love ones, they forget about their own needs.

The first reason people do not have the right to rescue services when they put themselves at risk is because of the chances of more people dying. The article “Why Everest?” suggests that if you’re going to climb any mountain, make sure you have very good experience. As stated Guy Moreau, “There have been over 250 deaths on the mountain.” This shows that people are climbing high without experience. In addition, it demonstrates that more rescuers are being put in danger. Those who disagree think helping people is good; this argument is wrong because climbers need more experience. Therefore, lack of experience is the first reason people do not have the right to rescue services.

The diagnosis of PTSD and those suffering from it have earned public compassion and understanding. Moral injury is not officially recognized by the Defense Department. But it is moral injury, not PTSD, which is progressively being acknowledged as the signature wound of this generation of veterans. Moral injury leaves a bruise on the soul, similar to grief or sorrow, with lasting impact on the veterans and their families. Moral injury raises unpleasant questions about what happens in war and the dreary experiences that many veterans are reluctant to talk about. It is not fear, but exposure, that causes moral injury. Any experience or set of experiences can provoke mild or intense grief, shame and guilt. The symptoms are similar to PTSD: depression and anxiety, difficulty paying attention, an unwillingness to trust anyone except fellow combat veterans, however the morally injured feel sorrow and regret as well. Moral injury wounds are caused by the conflict of the ethical beliefs they carried to war and the dangerous realities of conflict. Many have found peace and acceptance: I did what I had to do, and I did it well and honorably. However, others struggle to reconcile with themselves who proudly enlisted just years before. Either way, they manage mostly out of sight and on their

They are just experiencing and expressing the mental stress that war has cause on them. Veterans are most likely claiming PTSD because their doctor told them they have it. It is not like the veterans are self-diagnosing and claiming that they have Post- Traumatic Disorder. The veterans that are not affected by the budget cuts were the Vietnam Veterans, is does not apply to the new veterans (VVA). The military created this mess when they decided to misdiagnose the veterans. There is no way you can prevent the soldiers from being affected by PTSD. The only option is to stop deploying soldiers to traumatic environments, and that is something that the military will not do. The veterans deserve to receive the benefits and resources that the VA is taking away and giving to fellow comrades. The benefits such as counseling, will assist the family but only so much if the veteran is still under stress and/ or not receiving the proper treatment for their

Every winter, I have fond memories of sitting around the Christmas tree, eagerly opening presents with my family, and walking downtown with my friends, with the brilliant lights in the trees and our footprints quickly being covered up again by the snow. Family and friends are the most precious things, especially around the holidays. But each year, I know, in the back of my mind, that there are countless families out there that are missing someone, a loved one, and a veteran. Maybe to suicide, to injury, or to one of the multitude of other health issues, both mental and physical, that many veterans carry with them wherever they go. I have always believed that supporting our veterans is a crucial part of our culture in the United States, and

The amount of combat soldiers who commit suicide is often shown an extreme expression of PTSD. {Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry}. Phil Harvey and Lisa Conyers- coauthors of "The Human Cost of Welfare." has mentioned that " We'll give you enough for a reasonably comfortable life, but we won't help you find a job." {latimes.com} Unemployment for these brave men when coming home is also a big problem. It's not easy for these men to find a job after their deployment because people often seen the Veterans as

Thousands of men and women throughout the United States give up the security and safety of their home to defend the freedoms that Americans, just like myself, get to enjoy every day. These men and women endure hardships and tragedies that most of us could not imagine dealing with, and they do it selflessly. When they finally get to return home to the country that they fought so selflessly to protect, they are forgotten. Veterans all across America receive inadequate health care, are left to suffer from mental illness and end up homeless, and the government is not doing near enough to help them.There are countless flaws in the way that our veterans are taken care of when they return home, and

Other people—spouses, children, family members, friends, or co-workers—often are more aware of the veteran's emotional distress than he is himself.(Scurfeild, 1993)

Lincoln made a promise stated, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan”. This quote is being neglected by us as Americans in trying to provide for our veterans. Do the research and you will see that veterans who have served for our country are living homeless. Also, thousands of veterans are forced to buy food stamps and they struggle to feed their families. Veterans in hospitals who suffer from PTSD attempt to commit suicide more than you would think. In this essay, I’m going to explain how our government can help provide better housing, food benefits, and ways we can help provide better mental health facilities.