Transition From War Essay

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.

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

Rates of trauma and mental illness are reported to be disproportionately higher among American veterans, especially those of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The barriers to care after civilian reentry further disadvantage this already vulnerable population. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the longest sustained US military operations since the Vietnam era, sending more than 2.2 million troops into battle and resulting in more than 6,600 deaths and 48,000 injuries. Veterans are at risk mental health challenges, as well as family instability, elevated rates of homelessness, and joblessness. Veterans have disproportionate rates of mental illness, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse disorders, depression, anxiety, and military sexual trauma.

Veterans are the men and women that have spent a part of their lives sacrificing and serving our country in the various branches of the military. These are people that should be honored because their sacrifice ensures the very freedoms that we get to enjoy here in the United States. Unfortunately, veterans are confronted with a serious problem when they leave the military that hurts their well being and pursuit of happiness. Veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than American citizens and on any given night there are around 75,000 veterans sleeping on the streets (Garofalo, 2011). The social problem is that homeless veterans are at a higher risk for suicide than those who are not homeless. To understand this social problem, one must

Veterans are everywhere throughout the United States, but just because they are everywhere, doesn’t meant they are getting the proper care. According to the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans of America, “One in three veterans return home and suffer from some sort of mental health issue.” Their mental health issues vary from post traumatic stress disorder to anxiety and depression. The switch from fighting everyday to being home is tough for the veterans and they need to receive the proper treatment so they can possibly live a life as normal as possible. The state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, started a $810,000 program to support these veterans with their issues returning home. The transition is hard, not

As the war is coming to an end, we find more and more veterans coming home from a violent and brutal war. The services military personnel are given after being discharge is not enough to help convert them back into civilian life. I can speak from personal experience as my husband had many difficulties adjusting back to normal life. He exhibits symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as he was always hyperventilating and had nightmares when he slept. Many veterans are not given services directly until they actually request help. Getting assistance has become extremely difficult for veterans as the Veteran Affairs makes service members prove that their injuries occurred in the line of duty. This documentation is hard to provide because many service member are taught to not show weakness. This discourages them to go to “sick call” or see a medic while serving. Every time I pass by downtown Los Angeles I see a larger population of homeless people in the area. Homelessness among veteran is a problem that will continue to grow if we do not help these men and women that protected our country. Many of services members choose to self medicate because the system in place makes it so difficult for them to get help. We need to change the system and help these warriors get therapy to talk about the trauma they have witness and get them the medical help they

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

First of all, there is something people need to know. Veterans stay away from their family, but then they come back like they have never left, and they don’t want to remember what happened in battle. Real heroes like this make sacrifices. If they have children, those children might have been upset without a parent or someone else to make them feel better and have been waiting for days, months, or maybe years! It’s sad being alone with no family

The mission statement of the VA Social Workers is to eliminate significant barriers to clients in need and offer interventions for veterans and families. It is accomplished by developing and maintaining integrated, in-depth programs in patient care, research, and education (Hoffer, Elizabeth. F., Dekle, Judith. Ward., & Sheets, Carol., 2014). Its proposed 11 percent to 20 percent of Iraq, Afghanistan veterans as well as 30 percent of Vietnam vets encounter (PTSD) posttraumatic stress disorder traumatic incidents like combat can lead to PTSD, military sexual trauma of military service member, and veterans may possibly deal with depression, anxiety in addition to other mental health concerns. Vets distress from these mental health and cognitive

The information presented from the two articles above can be supported by the article by Frueh and Stencel. Veterans ' experiences in war are likely to go beyond the instantaneous and physical effects, which may affect their entire lives. According to Frueh and Stencel, more than 2.2 million troops from the United States served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars (10). In the two wars, more than 6,600 troops from the United States lost their lives. Frueh and Stencel assert that a substantial percentage of veterans experience enormous difficulties while in transition. The use of statistics is helpful in elevating the quality of the article. They acknowledge that veterans are faced with far-reaching challenges in their effort to adjust to civilian life. For example, health problems- such as PTSD and traumatic brain injuries- are common among veterans. However, with high jobless rates and shrinking aid programs, these aren 't the best days to be

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

Veterans often feel distant from mainstream society when they return from war, and society doesn’t do enough to heal them. For example, Max Cleland, Vietnam veteran and former Democratic senator, writers in The New York Times, “ [...] my memories of death and wounding were suddenly as fresh and present as they had been in 1968.” Soldiers come back from war mentally unstable, flashbacks are just the beginning of all the trauma. Most come back with pstd, which hurts them and everyone around them because they are so unpredictable They could go berserk, and sadly what ends up happening is a lot of pain and suffering for those around them. Furthermore, when soldiers start integrating back into society, their problems end up getting ignored because people don’t know how to help them cope.

What are returning veterans really experiencing?Did their stress get released or may they still suffer. Many of our returning veterans faces a lot of problems from problems ranging from PTSD to no jobs.These problems are important because some veterans commit suicide because they can’t get help.Homelessness is among the most urgent problems facing our veterans and simply the easiest problem to fix.Upon returning home, they may struggle to find employment, obtain felicitous health care or secure treatment for war-related mental illness and this is the problem when the government failed to help the returning veterans

Historical facts reveal that veterans struggled with re-integration of life and communities they left behind and understood after the Civil War and other wars that followed. During pre-eras veterans were exposed to traumas that resemble those of the twentieth century e.g. trapped in post-war nightmares, injuries, shell shock, effects of depression, and long-term ramifications of psychological and physical health because of war experience (Martin, 2012, p. 12-15).

military who understand the difficulties of readjusting to civilian life after being conditioned into service. Although some have the support of family friends, it’s not always the case for those who undergo extended service for the United States. After serving a certain amount of time for the United States, it only seems fair that veterans should be able experience an easier transition and at least be provided with easier access to care for possible psychological trauma and other behavioral needs.