The tour of duty ended.
But for the soldier, the fighting doesn’t end. The fight against memories of war and death, of the horrors of atrocity. That war, that fight, is far from over.
That fight occurs on an invisible battlefield- the mind and soul of the veteran. The veteran’s wife or husband and their children are not only witnesses to the battle but its unintended victims. They become the targets of anger or torment, the students of depression, anxiety, melancholy- what we have come to call post-traumatic stress disorder.
The collateral damage of war widens, encircling the children of the veterans.
Veterans’ Children is the first community and support organization to uncover and address the consequences of living with the trauma familiar to generations of veterans’ families- from World War II, Korea, Vietnam to our present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our purpose is to serve as a resource for healing and a forum for sharing stories.
14 January, 2012, 5:06 pm
Our troops have fought hard to preserve our honor and freedom, and by offering your time to them, you are not only making their time of service a bit easier, but you are also showing your respect and gratitude in deepest form.
3 January, 2012, 7:39 pm
A Toolkit for the Well Child Screening of Military Children is an invaluable resource to help military parents and health care providers protect the health of their children. My only criticism is that the toolkit does not address what can happen after the parent returns. The child’s mental health is just as at risk after the parent’s homecoming as during deployment. The veteran parent very well may experience PTSD that children easily absorb and perceive that they have somehow caused their parent’s anger and/or depression. It is urgent we consider the effect a veteran parent’s PTSD can have on their children.
12 December, 2011, 8:34 pm
Not only did I not see back in college Woolf’s subject of combat trauma (nor did any of the criticism I read at that time) but I had no idea that subject was relevant to my own life. Woolf is a greater teacher than I ever imagined her. (It is amazing how well Woolf understands and portrays combat trauma). She speaks what we have yet to learn: that our salvation lies in our connecting, in our finding our way to universal love.
