This is the beginning, I hope and pray that an avalanche of support follows. I am the mom of an Army son. He has served 3 combat tours. He has had multiple concussions, and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress. Currently, my son is sitting in the Miramar Brig. He made some not so great choices about 4 months out of his last tour to Afghanistan, and is now serving a 2 year sentence. This is his first offense. As I help him through this process, I have been made aware of just how little the military actually does for our combat veterans. We pay for study after study to understand the process of PTSD and TBI, but identification is minimal because treatment generally includes the end of their military career. So, they say nothing. Later, the affects of PTSD & TBI surface in behaviors: lack of sleep, hyper-vigilance, anger, self medication... These behaviors lead to distancing from friends, family, and society - which tends to exacerbate the problem. Some end up in the brig or civilian judicial system - where they get NO help for the issue. I think it is time that we stand up for our military. Not just send them a box, but really understand what it means to come home and try to fit in. Each of us can make the transition possible, if we have the right tools. We can write our Senators & Congressmen, we can demand treatment, we can educate, we can learn, we can support, the list goes on... My idea is to bring together people of differing talents, people who are willing to become activists for change in the treatment of PTSD & TBI. When our individual voices become a roar, something will change.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:43:22 +0000
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