Think back to the last time you saw a scary movie, or heard about or witnessed something that kept you up at night and that cluttered your thoughts throughout the day. Imagine experiencing the effects of that only 10 or 100 fold for the rest of your life, that’s only a glimpse of what it might be like to experience Combat Trauma, or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which the vast majority of our countries war veterans experience after their tours of duty.
Currently there are thousands of veterans returning from duty in Iraq having experienced horrific situations that have left them struggling to maintain and begin normal life here in the states. Charles Thomas, 43, served as a platoon sergeant. “He had been in firefights. He had fished bloated bodies out of the Tigris River. He had removed equipment from military vehicles stained and reeking from the blown-out brains of his soldiers who had been killed…When he came home from war and retired from the military, however, he couldn’t sit in a crowded room. He was still scanning overpasses for bombs and snipers, even as he was driving to work in Phoenix, especially on a stretch of Loop 202 that reminded him of Iraq. And he went into a panic in a traffic jam.” As much as 42% of those returning from duty are requiring mental health treatment. There is no question, whether for or against the war, there is a huge need to “support our troops” in dealing with the trauma upon their return.
In addition to those recently returning there is a large percentage of veterans from the Vietnam war and other armed conflicts, who are still today struggling to lead healthy lives here in the states. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans there are nearly 200,000 veterans without a home on any given night and nearly 400,000 experience homelessness in a given year. A conservative estimate says that one in every three men you see standing on the corner, sleeping on a bench or under a bridge has done a tour of duty for this country. There are a wide range of reasons one can point to as to why a person might currently be experiencing homelessness, but there is a stark reality that thousands of men, fit mentally and physically to serve our country in military service, have come back and find themselves struggling with substance abuse, unable to hold jobs, chronically ill, mentally incapable of normal day to day functioning, and many unable to provide the means to keep a roof over their heads.
What is the Christians roll in all this? Where family, government services, friends and non-profits have failed them, the church has an opportunity to love their combat traumatized and homeless veterans as themselves. Providing support, understanding and a welcome environment for these men and women is important to them and the community at large. Jesus tells the story of a man who is robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. It is a Samaritan, from the ‘other side of the tracks’, who comes and cares for the man, and Jesus then tells us to “Go and do likewise.” How clearly this parable speaks to the need to care for war veterans, our fellow countrymen (and women), who have been more or less, “left for dead” by our society. They need much more then your money or occasional charity project, they need loving caring communities to welcome and embrace them and walk with them on their journey to wholeness, for weeks, months, years, maybe even for life.
What you can do (from the NCHV website):
- Determine the need in your community. Visit with veteran’s assistance providers. Contact your local mayor’s office for a list of providers.
- Involve others. If you are not already part of an organization, pull together a few people who might be interested in attacking this issue.
- Participate in local homeless coalitions. Chances are there is one in your community. If not, this may be the time to start bringing people together around this critical need.
Resources:
Thanks for these thoughts, Ariah. Coincidentally, I just watched The Ground Truth a couple nights ago, so your comments here are very relevant to my current musings about the war…
Everytimes I read about the life stories of returning soldiers from war, I felt really sad and can’t help to feel that their life is partially destroy. May god bless them.