Posted on 08/16/2021 6:58:38 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Veterans from all eras are reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as the U.S withdrawal and the takeover by the Taliban.
You are not alone.
Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service. It’s normal to feel this way. Talk with your friends and families, reach out to battle buddies, connect with a peer-to-peer network, or sign up for mental health services. Scroll down for a list common reactions and coping advice.
Resources available right now:
Veterans Crisis Line - If you are having thoughts of suicide, call 1-800-273-8255, then PRESS 1 or visit http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
For emergency mental health care, you can also go directly to your local VA medical center 24/7 regardless of your discharge status or enrollment in other VA health care.
Vet Centers - Discuss how you feel with other Veterans in these community-based counseling centers. 70% of Vet Center staff are Veterans. Call 1-877-927-8387 or find one near you.
VA Mental Health Services Guide - This guide will help you sign up and access mental health services. MakeTheConnection.net - information, resources, and Veteran to Veteran videos for challenging life events and experiences with mental health issues.
RallyPoint - Talk to other Veterans online. Discuss: What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement? Download VA's self-help apps - Tools to help deal with common reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You can also track your symptoms over time.
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) - Request a Peer Mentor
VA Women Veterans Call Center - Call or text 1-855-829-6636 (M-F 8AM - 10PM & SAT 8AM - 6:30PM ET) VA Caregiver Support Line - Call 1-855-260-3274 (M-F 8AM - 10PM & SAT 8AM - 5PM ET)
Together We Served -Find your battle buddies through unit pages
George W. Bush Institute - Need help or want to talk? Check In or call:1-630-522-4904 or email: checkin@veteranwellnessalliance.org
Elizabeth Dole Foundation Hidden Heroes - Join the Community
American Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network - Peer Support and Mentoring
Team Red, White & Blue - Hundreds of events weekly. Find a chapter in your area.
Student Veterans of America - Find a campus chapter to connect with.
Team Rubicon - Find a local support squad.
Common Reactions
In reaction to current events in Afghanistan, Veterans may:
Feel frustrated, sad, helpless, grief or distressed
Feel angry or betrayed
Experience an increase in mental health symptoms like symptoms of PTSD or depression
Sleep poorly, drink more or use more drugs
Try to avoid all reminders or media or shy away from social situations
Have more military and homecoming memories
Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service.
Veterans may feel like they need to expect and/or prepare for the worst. For example, they may:
Become overly protective, vigilant, and guarded
Become preoccupied by danger
Feel a need to avoid being shocked by, or unprepared for, what may happen in the future
Feeling distress is a normal reaction to negative events, especially ones that feel personal. It can be helpful to let yourself feel those feelings rather than try to avoid them. Often, these feelings will naturally run their course. If they continue without easing up or if you feel overwhelmed by them, the suggestions below can be helpful.
Strategies for Managing Ongoing Distress
At this moment, it may seem like all is lost, like your service or your sacrifices were for nothing. Consider the ways that your service made a difference, the impact it had on others’ lives or on your own life. Remember that now is just one moment in time and that things will continue to change.
It can be helpful to focus on the present and to engage in the activities that are most meaningful and valuable to you. Is there something you can do today that is important to you? This can be as an individual, a family member, a parent, or a community member. Something that is meaningful to you in regard to your work or your spirituality? Such activities won’t change the past or the things you can’t control, but they can help life feel meaningful and reduce distress, despite the things you cannot change.
It can also help to consider your thinking. Ask yourself if your thoughts are helpful to you right now. Are there ways you can change your thinking to be more accurate and less distressing? For example, are you using extreme thinking where you see the situation as all bad or all good? If so, try and think in less extreme terms. For example, rather than thinking “my service in Afghanistan was useless” consider instead “I helped keep Afghanistan safe.”
Finally, consider more general coping strategies that you may want to try including:
Engage in Positive Activities. Try to engage in positive, healthy, or meaningful activities, even if they are small, simple actions. Doing things that are rewarding, meaningful, or enjoyable, even if you don’t feel like it, can make you feel better.
Stay Connected. Spend time with people who give you a sense of security, calm, or happiness, or those who best understand what you are going through.
Practice Good Self Care. Look for positive coping strategies that help you manage your emotions. Listening to music, exercising, practicing breathing routines, spending time in nature or with animals, journaling, or reading inspirational text are some simple ways to help manage overwhelming or distressing emotions.
Stick to Your Routines. It can be helpful to stick to a schedule for when you sleep, eat, work, and do other day-to-day activities.
Limit Media Exposure. Limit how much news you take in if media coverage is increasing your distress.
Use a mobile app. Consider one of VA’s self-help apps (see https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/) such as PTSD Coach which has tools that can help you deal with common reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You can also track your symptoms over time. PTSD Coach Online. A series of online video coaches will guide you through 17 tools to help you manage stress. PTSD Coach Online is used on a computer, rather than a mobile device, and therefore can offer tools that involve writing.
If you develop your own ways of adapting to ongoing events and situations, you may gain a stronger sense of being able to deal with challenges, a greater sense of meaning or purpose, and an ability to mentor and support others in similar situations.
IRONIC, AIN'T IT?
George W. Bush Institute - Need help or want to talk? Check In or call:1-630-522-4904 or email: checkin@veteranwellnessalliance.org
Infuriates the hell outta me coming from a proud military family. 😡
I get the feeling most veterans are not looking for emotional support due to the disaster unfolding, they are looking for ammo and a ride over.
I gave them a call and delivered my harsh opinion of the Bush Crime Family.
All these Leftist run gov orgs should burn to the ground, but hey, that just me. /s
My messages from the VA all start out
“Dear (name inserted here);”
“George W. Bush Institute - Need help or want to talk? Check In or call:1-630-522-4904 or email: checkin@veteranwellnessalliance.org“
I can’t even. Jane, get me off of this crazy thing!
The people who make lists would love for you to express your feelings of rage, betrayal and re-traumatization electronically or publicly.
God Bless and keep our Afghanistan vets, Biden slapped down your dedication and bravery and abandoned you.
Bttt.
5.56mm
It reads like it was written by a social worker.
Exactly.
I don’t want to express my feelings. I want the President we actually elected.
For the record, I have NEVER gotten an e-mail from the VA concerning ANYTHING remotely political in nature.
This is a FIRST.
Of course, they’ve been pestering me for MONTHS to get the jab, so I guess that’s become political to some extent.
Anyhow, beyond mad, but I’m not going off the deep end or anything. Just wanted to share in case anyone was having serious problems with this - which is highly likely as we are living in Upside Down World these days. Grrrrr!
“I get the feeling most veterans are not looking for emotional support due to the disaster unfolding, they are looking for ammo and a ride over.”
Pretty much! :)
Hang in there, Patriots!
(4 minutes of Meme-Unition to music)
https://youtu.be/ImBo9FrbWPA
I cannot control what the idiot government does, or what the VA does.
But I can control what I do.
And what I can do is honor the effort and sacrifices our military has made in my name as a citizen. How it turned out in Vietnam, and how it turned out in Afghanistan and everything in between makes far less difference to me than ensuring that I as a citizen never, ever turn my back on people who have gone where MY government has sent them (with MY tacit, if not always willing approval) and done their job to the best of their ability.
It sickens me to see people turn on their effort and sacrifice. Of course, many won’t admit to that, and in in many cases, they don’t realize that their refusal to acknowledge the excellent job they did under bad conditions and focus on the political aspect seems to many veterans to be a rejection of them.
It is not only right to criticize our political endeavors in war, it is necessary.
But to do that only in a vacuum, and never acknowledge the honorable and good effort our military personnel gave, only serves to embitter them. We should have learned that after Vietnam, but as many things we should have learned but didn’t, this too falls too often by the wayside.
Just had a fighter jet from our local base fly overhead getting in some hours. Always has given me a sense of pride. Now....I don’t know what, TBH.
"Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service."
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