1 Health Problems Veterans Face

Health Problems Veterans Face Justin Lauver Davenport University English 109 Dan Sullivan 12-14-11 Final Draft

2 Health Problems Veterans Face Have you ever sat down and talked to a soldier that has experienced combat? If so, could you tell if there was anything wrong with them? The brave men and women of our armed forces that have fought in past or present wars are hiding something. Outstanding percentages of these individuals suffer from some sort of physical or psychological illness. Whereas the physical illnesses are not so easy to conceal, the psychological illnesses associated with battle are wounds that are hidden every day. These psychological injuries are not limited to the military members alone. Family members of a deployed service member suffer in their own individual ways as well. Mothers, fathers, daughters and sons have to endure these long deployments and family separations. In this paper I intend to show you how post war veterans face health problems that affect not only themselves but the family members that support them while they were separated. These health problems can affect daily life, whether it is a life changing traumatic amputation, or dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which is associated with combat deployments. When America declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, wars were conducted in a different manner. I am sure very few at that time considered how technologically advance wars would become. In the Revolutionary War, battles were fought head on, in a hand to hand combat style. However, in 2011 a soldier can be killed or injured in more ways than most of us can imagine. In the two conflicts we are currently engaged in today, a soldier is not as likely to see death or injury coming. Todays wars are fought with improvised explosive devices (IED), car bombs, rocket propelled grenades (RPG), ambushes, roadside bombs, drones and guerilla style fighting tactics. Though the fighting styles have dramatically changed, there is one thing that remains the same. War is hell on any individual that experiences it, no matter what century we live in.

3 Health Problems Veterans Face So why does any of this matter to you? What does fighting a war in 1776 or 2011 have to do with you? Well, the individuals that have fought in or are still fighting in wars can be all around you and you dont even realize it. There have been 1.7 million U.S. military members deployed between the Iraq and Afghanistan wars alone. Out of that staggering number, half a million of these men and women suffer from some from some sort of combat illness or injury such as traumatic amputation, PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or depression. These combat related diagnoses do not affect any one specific age, gender, or race. However, these treatable diagnoses can affect military men and women from the top of the rank structure all the way to the bottom. I intend to show and thoroughly explain how these illnesses and injuries, if left untreated, have a severe impact on not only themselves but the people living around them. One of the harshest reminders of war that a service member faces is the loss of an arm or leg. In some cases, soldiers deal with double amputations due to war related injuries. Fred Downs, a Second Lieutenant in the Army, served in Vietnam in 1968. To hear his story told, 33 years after the fact, is still bone chilling. Downs gives a detailed description of how a land mine blew his arm off and how his life was changed forever. The lieutenant stated that he never heard the explosion. He recalled a black cloud flying past him. As he reached his arms out to catch himself, while falling to the ground, he remembered yelling Oh God, Oh God as he realized his left arm was gone above the elbow, (Department of Veterans Affairs 2002). To read the story from Downs perspective, he felt so much more than just physical pain. Downs shared his thoughts about when he originally woke to find his arm had been amputated. This was a terrible thing that had happened. I was so depressed with the realization that I would be crippled the rest of my life. Oh God, I prayed for another chance to go back and take a different path from the land mine, but I knew it was impossible (Department of Veterans Affairs 2002). The 23 year old

4 Health Problems Veterans Face soldier dealt with severe depression and anger. Doctors fitted Downs with a prosthetic arm. At the time, he was depressed at how alien it felt and looked, (Department of Veterans Affairs 2002). Lieutenant Downs is just one case of thousand that have lost a limb due to combat. His reaction to the loss is very common. Most people go through several stages of emotion when they lose a part of their body. Physical pain, anger, resentment, fear and depression can all be associated with traumatic amputation (Department of Veterans Affairs 2002). Learning to cope with the loss can be a difficult process that military members must overcome. Military members that refuse to deal with the mental aspect of amputation will have a difficult time adjusting to this new lifestyle. This failure to adjust can slow the mental healing process significantly. As well as having negative impacts on family and friends that assist them in the healing process. Another physical injury associated with combat is a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. Some of the common open head TBIs can occur when shrapnel or bullets injure the head or neck (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). Obvious bullet or shrapnel wounds would assist doctors in early diagnose of TBIs however, some TBIs associated with war are not so easily diagnosed. These TBIs are known as closed head wounds that can associated with road side bombs and mortars. The reason they are considered a closed head injury is because there does not need to be an open wound present. Out of approximately 33,000 injured veterans in Iraq, 68 percent experienced these blast related injuries (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). Some of the symptoms of a TBI can include emotional, vision, hearing, or speech problems, dizziness, sleep disorders, and/or memory loss (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). When an individual experiences multiple TBIs, they risk of having serious neurological complications later in life. Their chances greatly increase of developing a brain disorder such as Alzheimers

5 Health Problems Veterans Face or Parkinsons disease (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). TBIs remain one of the most difficult injuries to diagnose. Individuals with a moderate to severe brain injury typically experience problems in their basic cognitive skills. Paying attention, as well as focusing on tasks at hand, and recalling new material are some of the basic skills affected. They may also think, speak and solve problems slower than prior to their TBI. These basic abilities that one might take for granted severely affects a service members ability to communicate with others, keep a job, or live a normal life. This injury can have a devastating impact on family life. When a service member suffers from a TBI, his or her family also suffers. Not being able to communicate with family as well as being able to take care of them puts a severe strain on everyday life. Children would have a difficulty understanding or coping with new family dynamics. This could cause the children to have psychological issues or act out. One of the most common illnesses experienced after a war time deployment is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. This illness is also referred to as an invisible wound because there are no distinct physical characteristics associated with it. PTDS can vary from person to person, because each persons threshold of trauma is different. Some of the common symptoms of PTSD are nightmares, reliving the traumatic events of war, avoidance of the reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness and loss of interest, difficulty feeling affectionate, irritability, and/or increased aggressiveness or violence (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). Though the term Posttraumatic Stress Disorder has only been used since the 1980s when it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III), the theory of PTSD has been around since humans evolved as a species (Friedman 2011). This disorder occurs when someone witnesses or experiences traumatic events that exceed or are outside the normal threshold of usual human experiences (Friedman 2011). One of the main contributing

6 Health Problems Veterans Face factors that could cause a person to incur PTSD is severe war zone stress. Prolonged and multiple deployments are the leading factor for these psychological injuries. As of June 2008, between the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, more than 638,000 military members have deployed more than one time to these hostile locations (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). Military members that experience longer deployments at a more frequent rate have the highest risk for PTSD. Other factors that play a contributing role to stress in a soldiers life are financial or family problems. When a member is deployed and there is a problem at home other than a death of the immediate family, the member is expected to deal with it by telephone or email. This puts additional stress on the military member and makes it difficult to deal with the problem. While the numbers of individuals experiencing PTSD is alarming, the amount of individuals experiencing PTSD that avoid seeking treatment for fear it will hurt their military career is devastating. In one case, a 22 year old Army reservist took his own life rather than deal with the after effects. He was suffering from PTSD but feared that if he attempted to seek help, it would damage his military career and his dream of becoming a police officer when he completed his military obligation (Williamson and Mulhall 2009). Though PTSD cannot be seen like a physical injury, the effects of this disorder can follow an individual that has experienced war for a lifetime. PTSD, when untreated, can affect not only the service member but his family and community life. PTSD affects family members as well. When soldiers are not in control of their emotions it may often lead to problems at home. Soldiers often take out this fear and anger on the ones that are closest to them. Spouses that try and help their loved ones but, are uneducated in how do so take the brunt on abuse from the veteran. It can also lead to substance abuse and suicide. Soldiers that dont seek help in dealing with PTSD often turn to suicide or some form of substance abuse to deal with emotional issues.

7 Health Problems Veterans Face Military members often turn to some form of substance abuse to help them cope with the stresses of war. Whether they have experienced death of a comrade, physical injury themselves or psychological illnesses, military members may turn to some form of substance abuse rather than seeking the proper health care that can help them with these issues. Like PTSD patients, members fail to seek help for fear of damaging their careers. Drinking and illicit drugs are used to mask their problems. Studies show that tobacco use among service members that have never seen combat is 50 percent higher than those in the civilian sector. However, members that have endured combat are a staggering 100 percent higher than civilians in tobacco use (Volkow 2009). Multiple deployments are a contributing factor to substance abuse. Military members exhibit higher smoking and binge drinking rates when tasked with frequent deployments. When an individual turns to some type of substance to cope with their problems, they only drag out the recovery process. Substance abuse can have a negative impact on the persons family and friends. Seeking the proper care will help start the healing process and get the member on the road to recovering faster. Military members have one of the hardest jobs in the world in my mind. I can say that because I used to be one of them and they will always be my brothers and sisters in arms. I have personally experienced wars, injuries, and deaths. I can say from my own perspective, All of these injuries are unique in their own way however, they all take a drastic toll on the mental stability of the individual. I personally continue to deal with the loss and injury of good friends every single day. This is an obvious social problem that impacts both the military and civilian sector. Ignoring that problem or covering it up will only make the situation worse. Military members need to be able to turn to the health care system without fear of damaging their military careers. Without the proper care, the mental illnesses will only escalate. Seeking the proper

8 Health Problems Veterans Face medical care for mental illnesses to help deal with these situations is the key to moving on and working on a successful life. Based on my research, I have come to the conclusion that one solution would be spacing the deployments out further, thus giving the members more time at home between tours. This would allow for a healing process as well as give the member time to be with their families. The deployment length could also be shorter to help alleviate the combat stress that is associated with the lengthy tours. The government could also invest in more unmanned patrols by using drone technology to explore these warzones. This might significantly reduce the risk of physical injury to veterans. The government is focusing on treating the health problems associated with war however; the amount of troops coming home and adequate providers presents a problem when it comes to treatment. Military members are facing problems when it comes to reporting problems associated to war such as PTSD. There is a stigmata attached to self reporting. The military needs to come up with a system that allows the military individual to self report without fear of being labeled as a risk to themselves or others, unless the threat truly exist(Williamson and Mulhall 2009). The failure to treat the military service members not only puts the veteran at risk, but their families suffer in the mean time as well. There will always be a military conflict somewhere in the world if we dont take care of the soldiers we have now it only weakens those individuals that serve to protect us.

9 Health Problems Veterans Face

References Department of Veterans Affairs. (2002). Traumatic Amputation And Prosthetics. Washington DC: Employee Education Center. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010). Traumatic Brain Injury. Washington DC: Employee Education Center. Matthew J Friedman MD, P. (2007). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Overview. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Nora, D. Volkow. Md. (2009, November). Substance Abuse Among Troops, Veterans, and Their Families. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from drugabuse.gov: http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNvol22N5/DirRepVol22N5.html Williamson, V., & Mulhall, E. (2009). Invisible Wounds. Washington DC: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Retrieved November 25, 2011 from www.IAVA.org: http://iava.org/files/IAVA_invisible_wounds_0.pdf