Tag Archives: PTSD

Remembering Our Heroes on Veteran’s Day

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Every year on November 11th, America comes together to honor and give thanks to the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Recognized as a federal holiday, Veteran’s Day serves as a time of both somber reflection and celebration of the people who sometimes paid the ultimate price for their country.

Image by Shonda Ranson from Pixabay

The Origins of Veteran’s Day

Veteran’s Day, initially known as Armistice Day, traces its roots back to the end of World War I. On November 11, 1918… at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month…an armistice was signed. This monumental event marked the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front. In the years following, Armistice Day became a time to reflect on the sacrifices of those who served in World War I.

In 1954, recognizing the need to honor veterans of all wars, the U.S. Congress officially changed the name to Veteran’s Day. It became a day not just to remember World War I but to pay tribute to all American veterans, acknowledging their service, patriotism, and the tremendous debt of gratitude owed to them.

The Challenges Faced by Veterans

While Veteran’s Day is a time of celebration, it’s also crucial to acknowledge the challenges many veterans face, particularly those dealing with the invisible wounds of war such as PTSD. The experiences of combat can leave lasting psychological effects, impacting the mental health and well-being of veterans.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common challenge among veterans, manifesting as a result of exposure to traumatic events. It can affect daily life, relationships, and overall quality of life. Recognizing the unique struggles faced by veterans with PTSD is integral to offering meaningful support and assistance.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Resources for Veterans with PTSD

Numerous resources are available to assist veterans in coping with PTSD and reclaiming their lives. Organizations such as Wounded Warrior Project, Give an Hour, and the Veterans Crisis Line offer support, counseling, and outreach programs.

  1. Wounded Warrior Project: This organization provides a variety of programs and services. These include mental health support, adaptive sports, and career counseling, all specifically tailored to wounded veterans.
  2. Give an Hour: The Give an Hour program sees mental health professionals volunteer their time to provide free counseling and support to veterans and their families. This resource aims to bridge the gap in mental health care for military personnel.
  3. Veterans Crisis Line: This confidential helpline offers immediate assistance to veterans in crisis. Available 24/7, it connects veterans and their families with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders. To reach the line, you can dial 988 and then press 1.

In addition to the above resources, Face of Combat offers our own page of resources which you can find by clicking here.

Celebrating Resilience and Recovery

As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, let us not only express gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our veterans but also remember those facing the silent battles of PTSD. By understanding their challenges and providing access to the necessary resources, we can contribute to the healing and well-being of those who have given so much for our freedom. This Veteran’s Day, let our appreciation be more than words – let it be a commitment to supporting those who have served.

Are you a veteran in need of assistance? Click this link for a list of resources made specifically for you. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call either The National Veterans’ Foundation at 1-888-777-4443 or the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255).

Both hotlines are free and confidential. If you’re not a veteran but would still like to help out, you can get involved through our donation page here.

PTSD and Military Families: The Ripple Effect of Trauma

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As September comes to a close and the holidays begin, many families around the world will be preparing for three months of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations. For many military veterans however, this time can be a stressful one as they do their best to cope with life after service and the expectations such holidays place upon them in their new familial roles. For veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this can prove even more challenging.

That’s because the toll of PTSD doesn’t stop at the veteran; it ripples through their families. In this article, we’ll delve into the often-overlooked impact of PTSD on military families. We’ll explore how the trauma endured during service affects not only the veteran but also their loved ones. Understanding this ripple effect is crucial for supporting both veterans and their families on their journey to recovery.

The Veteran’s Burden:

Before delving into the impact on families, it’s essential to understand the weight of PTSD on veterans themselves. These individuals often carry invisible scars from their service, leading to nightmares, flashbacks, anger, and isolation. Coping with these symptoms is a daily struggle, one that can strain both familial relationships and other aspects of a veteran’s day-to-day life.

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

The Family’s Role:

Military families play a vital role in supporting veterans with PTSD. Spouses, children, parents, and siblings become unofficial caregivers, even if they don’t have formal training. They provide emotional support, offer a listening ear, and, at times, must navigate challenging situations when the veteran is in crisis.

The Strain on Relationships:

One of the most immediate impacts of PTSD on families is the strain it places on relationships. Spouses may grapple with understanding their partner’s unpredictable behavior and mood swings. Children might be frightened or confused when a parent experiences a flashback. This strain can lead to feelings of helplessness, frustration, and even resentment, further complicating the path to recovery.

Parenting Challenges:

Military families with children face unique parenting challenges when a parent has PTSD. The need to provide emotional support to both the veteran and the children can be overwhelming. Moreover, veterans with PTSD may struggle with parenting, feeling disconnected or unable to fully engage due to their symptoms.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Financial Stress:

Veterans with PTSD may find it challenging to maintain steady employment, which can lead to financial instability. This instability, coupled with the medical costs associated with treatment, can create immense stress within the family. The burden of managing finances can fall on the spouse, adding to their already considerable responsibilities.

Breaking the Silence:

One of the most significant barriers to healing for military families dealing with PTSD is the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Many veterans and their families suffer in silence, fearing judgment or repercussions. Breaking this silence is crucial. Encouraging open communication within the family and seeking professional help when needed can be transformative.

Support Systems:

There is an increasing recognition of the need for support systems specifically tailored to military families dealing with PTSD. These include family counseling services, support groups, and online resources. Organizations like the National Military Family Association and Give an Hour provide valuable assistance to both veterans and their families.

Photo by Alex Green on Pexels

Resilience and Recovery:

Despite the challenges, military families can emerge from the shadow of PTSD stronger and more resilient. The journey to recovery involves both the veteran and their loved ones working together, seeking therapy, and finding healthy coping mechanisms. This process can strengthen family bonds and create a deeper understanding of the experiences faced during military service.

So as the holidays begin, remember:

PTSD’s ripple effect on military families is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who serve. Understanding and addressing this impact is crucial for holistic recovery. By providing support, breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, and fostering open communication, we can help military families not only survive but thrive in the face of PTSD’s challenges. It’s a reminder that healing is not just an individual journey but a collective one, undertaken by families who stand strong together.

Are you a veteran in need of assistance? Click this link for a list of resources made specifically for you. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call either The National Veterans’ Foundation at 1-888-777-4443 or the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255).

Both hotlines are free and confidential. If you’re not a veteran but would still like to help out, you can get involved through our donation page here.

PTSD: The Silent Killer

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“War scars us all, but does the most damage to those closest to it.“

In his book, Faces of Combat, author Eric Newhouse describes PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as “…a series of persistent symptoms that follow exposure to a catastrophe or series of catastrophes that are outside a person’s control and that cause feelings of intense fear, helplessness, or horror.”

If you are unfamiliar with PTSD, Newhouse’s definition paints a somber picture of the living hell that people suffering from PTSD go though each and every day. But what makes veterans in particular so susceptible to the disorder?

Veterans who see combat can often experience these extremely stressful situations (or catastrophes) several times per day during tours that can last for years at a time. Each stressful situation compounds upon all the stressful situations that came before it, all but ensuring lasting effects long after the soldier returns home from duty. This untreated PTSD is largely why the suicide rate among veterans is statistically higher than the national average.

To support this theory, let’s look at some data.

The 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report conducted by the VA states that “In each year from 2001 through 2020, age and sex-adjusted suicide rates of Veterans exceeded those of non-Veteran U.S. adults.” Specifically, the report lists the 2020 rate of suicide among veterans as 57.3% higher than the general, non-veteran population.

Another study performed in 2017 found that 12.9% of their veteran participants were living with PTSD, compared to just 6.8% of the general, non-veteran population. This means veterans are almost twice as likely to have some form of PTSD and, when taken into consideration with the 2022 Suicide Prevention study by the VA, suggests a direct link between combat-related PTSD and suicide rates among veterans.

But despite how dire things may seem, there are reasons to feel optimistic about the future.

Thankfully, a lot of positive action has been taken in the past few years that is starting to yield very promising results. For instance, 2020 saw the lowest number of veteran suicides since 2006. Furthermore, the adjusted rate of veteran suicides is decreasing faster than the adjusted suicide rate of the general population, at 9.7% and 5.5% respectively. This means that things are absolutely trending in the right direction…but there’s still a long way to go.

In the meantime, each of us can focus on doing our part to fund programs that assist veterans. We can continue to spread awareness of the various programs that exist to provide mental health support to our veterans (several of which can be found here). The more visible these programs are, the more likely they are to be seen by the people who need them the most.

Are you a veteran in need of assistance? Click this link for a list of resources made specifically for you. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call either The National Veterans’ Foundation at 1-888-777-4443 or the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255). Both hotlines are free and confidential.

If you’re not a veteran but would still like to help out, you can get involved through our donation page here.

A Home of Their Own

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165492_1739178126037_5694844_nThough it shouldn’t, the lengths people will go in their get rich quick schemes and scams still amazes me. The very idea that they will use servicemembers, veterans and their families disgusts me. Everything from false injury notifications to obtain credit card information to fake charities that prey on America’s love for its military has been tried. The latter are some of the most heinous as they take monetary donations from caring people and then use that money as their own. It makes it hard for a person to know who they can trust to use their donation in the manner in which it was intended. This lack of trust created by continuing news stories of these fake charities or even real charity organizations who misuse funds can make it harder for those groups who operate with integrity. Today, however, I want to share with you a group that really “puts their money where their mouth is” and I pray they always will.

According to their website, Operation Homefront “assists military families during difficult financial times by providing food assistance, auto and home repair, vision care, travel and transportation, moving assistance, essential home items, and financial assistance.” They also list a number of other programs. I don’t claim to know everything about this organization, but if they are pocketing money for themselves on the sly then they must receive record donations. I’ve heard complaints against large well-known charities that actually provide very little actual assistance to those they claim to serve. Operation Homefront (OPH) is not one of them. How do I know? Because I have seen what this group has done for just ONE military family.

My son-in-law joined the Army in 2009. The past seven years have been filled with the usual ups and downs that most military families can expect; deployments, sick children, births, and the death of family members far away. Through all of this, OPH has stood behind them. For this article, I asked my daughter if she could list everything they have been provided by OPH. She just laughed and said she would try. Here is the list, short one item, this one family received from OPH:

High chair
Electric breast pump
$500 in designer baby clothes
$50 gift card for Toys R Us
200 diapers
Christmas toys every year for 3 years
Christmas dinner every year for 3 years
$20 Wal-Mart gift card for Christmas ham every year for 3 years
Plane ticket home for a morale and welfare leave
Spouse night out which included dinner, pampering and a goodie 2 years
Back to school supplies 2 years

In itself, that is one impressive list, but you may have noticed that I had said this list was “short one item”. That’s because one item that this ONE family received deserves a discussion all its own. On 13 December 2016, this family will be presented the keys to a mortgage-free home. Now, as my son-in-law transitions out of the military and back to civilian life their biggest concern is no longer a worry. The monetary value of the gift is, of course, extraordinary, but that pales in comparison to the piece of mind and continued sense of stability this gift gives to this veteran family. That is a gift beyond measure and shows that OPH understands the true needs of our veteran population.

So how did they get a house and how can you get one, too? Visit Operation Homefront’s website at http://www.operationhomefront.net/howwehelp and check out their “Homes on the Homefront” program. It’s open to most veterans not just those transitioning from active duty. Look at the homes they have available and read up on the rules and such. It’s an amazing program.

Come on out to Mooresville, Indiana, on December 13th and join in the celebration as this family receives their house keys! Come out and support this organization that is doing great things for veterans and is deserving or your support. Hope to see you there!

For the Love of this Country

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Johnny Clem

Johnny Clem

When I was a little girl, two of my favorite things to do with my stepdad were to go to yard sales with him on Saturday mornings followed by a stop at the donut shop, and listen to Paul Harvey’s program, “The Rest of the Story” on the radio. Now that I’m a mom and grandma, I’ve continued this yard sale tradition with my own family though I have trouble finding Paul Harvey anymore.

A couple of weeks ago, while “saleing” with my daughter, I came across a fascinating book called, A Treasury of Civil War Tales: Unusual, Interesting Stories of the Turbulent Era When Americans Waged War on Americans by Webb Garrison. (Rutledge Hill Press, 1988) One of the stories in this book was about the young drummers and buglers on both sides of the war that served during the American Civil War. All of these boys were under 18 with one very special one being only nine years old. Here is his story…

After being told that the U.S. Army was not “enlisting infants”, John Lincoln Clem went from command to command in his attempt to serve his country. He finally found a home with the Twenty-second Michigan unit not as a member but as a mere tagalong. The men liked the boy though and before long they were “passing the hat each month to collect thirteen dollars for Johnny’s pay.” The men even found him an old drum and Johnny “became a Union drummer boy in every respect except for official enrollment.” However, once the real fighting began and by the time of Shiloh, he was enrolled. The newspapers made Johnny famous calling him “Johnny Shiloh”. Before long “Johnny Clem came to be admired throughout the North and hated everywhere in the South.”

“At Chickamauga, Johnny was a sight to see,” said an aide to Major General George H. Thomas. “When we decided to move in and break the Confederate siege, Johnny rode a caisson to the battle line. He waved a musket that someone had trimmed down to size for him…a Rebel chased the piece of artillery on which Johnny rode…he (the Rebel) shouted out, ‘Surrender, you damned little Yankee!’ Johnny Clem didn’t say a word. He just raised his sawed-off musket and took the fellow down.”

Now Johnny was touted as the “drummer boy of Chickamauga”.

Perhaps he had had enough of the horrors of battle and bloodshed, but a few months after this battle, Johnny left the field to become “a courier for the rest of the war.” When the war was over, Johnny applied to West Point “but couldn’t qualify because his education had ended during the third grade.” Never one to give up, Johnny appealed this decision.

When “General U.S. Grant, who had been Johnny’s commander at Shiloh” and was now the U.S. President heard of Johnny’s plight, he personally “bypassed the U.S. Military Academy” and gave him a Presidential appointment to “second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in December of 1871.”

In the immortal words of Paul Harvey, “and now, the rest of the story”…

The nine year-old drummer boy who just wouldn’t quit spent fifty-five years in the uniform of a United States soldier. He retired in 1916 as a Major General.