Post by Admin on May 30, 2016 10:46:33 GMT -5
Today as I raised my flag on my porch I remembered, as I do every year at this time, my dear friends Joe and Bobby, neighbors in Edison New Jersey back in 1966. And of course the others in my neighborhood who never came home parade past my minds eye. But Joe and Bob always arise first because I was so close to them, each in a different way, and felt their loss more so than other guys I knew for whom I grieved, but not as intensely as for Joe and Bobby for some reason. And, today I also pray for all my fellow veterans who to this day cope with wounds, physical and mental, they received back in the Day in a tropical paradise called Viet Nam. I know you join with me to celebrate and honor those departed whom we miss, and encourage those who remain, whose brother/sisterhood we cherish.
But also I wanted to share something interesting which was in this mornings email. As a member of Interfaith Veterans Workgroup(IVW) I receive periodic messages from Tom Davis, founder and leader of the group who said: I just wrote the message below to my colleagues in the Interfaith Veterans' Workgroup, and I'd like to share it with you on this day when we remember the sacrifices made by citizens enlisted in the armed services, and also the continuing epidemic of suicide among veterans (one approximately every 22 minutes).
See below:
But also I wanted to share something interesting which was in this mornings email. As a member of Interfaith Veterans Workgroup(IVW) I receive periodic messages from Tom Davis, founder and leader of the group who said: I just wrote the message below to my colleagues in the Interfaith Veterans' Workgroup, and I'd like to share it with you on this day when we remember the sacrifices made by citizens enlisted in the armed services, and also the continuing epidemic of suicide among veterans (one approximately every 22 minutes).
See below:
May this Memorial Day be a healing time for you, and a time to hold in the light those who made it home but are struggling to cope with that.
In this morning's New York Times I read a helpful article by Benedict Carey, "After Thriving in Combat Tours, Veterans Are Struggling at Home." You'll find it here:
www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/health/veterans-iraq-afghanistan-psychology-therapy.html
Carey shares some findings about what psychological dispositions make for a good warrior, and how these traits can be dysfunctional when a warrior returns home.
Another recommended reading is War, by Sabastian Junger, a photojournalist who was embedded with Marines in Afghanistan. That book will help you understand the geological and sociological terrain of Afghanistan, and why many American soldiers relished the firefights there:
1) Excitement! Adrenaline brings a natural high. One may never feel so alive as when one is so close to death.
2) Camaraderie: One's platoon becomes a soldier's tribe, the social unit enabling one to survive, and in turn demanding the deepest dedication.
3) Purpose: Many of the soldiers Junger writes about joined up for patriotic reasons; but it isn't ideology that sustained them through hardship and danger, but rather, the primordial contest of surviving. Depending on each other to stay alive creates a bond like no other. Coming home to a flat emotional landscape, where no one seems dedicated to much of anything is a great let down for warriors who have tasted of deep belonging. They would gladly re-up and spin the wheel of fate one more time to regain it.
Peace,
Tom
In this morning's New York Times I read a helpful article by Benedict Carey, "After Thriving in Combat Tours, Veterans Are Struggling at Home." You'll find it here:
www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/health/veterans-iraq-afghanistan-psychology-therapy.html
Carey shares some findings about what psychological dispositions make for a good warrior, and how these traits can be dysfunctional when a warrior returns home.
Another recommended reading is War, by Sabastian Junger, a photojournalist who was embedded with Marines in Afghanistan. That book will help you understand the geological and sociological terrain of Afghanistan, and why many American soldiers relished the firefights there:
1) Excitement! Adrenaline brings a natural high. One may never feel so alive as when one is so close to death.
2) Camaraderie: One's platoon becomes a soldier's tribe, the social unit enabling one to survive, and in turn demanding the deepest dedication.
3) Purpose: Many of the soldiers Junger writes about joined up for patriotic reasons; but it isn't ideology that sustained them through hardship and danger, but rather, the primordial contest of surviving. Depending on each other to stay alive creates a bond like no other. Coming home to a flat emotional landscape, where no one seems dedicated to much of anything is a great let down for warriors who have tasted of deep belonging. They would gladly re-up and spin the wheel of fate one more time to regain it.
Peace,
Tom