Dealing with Combat Stress

June 09, 2008 - 2:12 PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY

a href=http://www.catholicmil.org/html/blog.php?b=FrDD&s=USS%20Iwo%20Jima,%20LHD7#Combat%20Stress:%20Reflections%20of%20a%20Chaplain target=_blank>www.catholicmil.org/html/blog.php

Combat Stress: Reflections of a Chaplain

*Note: The 2008 professional development training course for Navy Chaplains was focused on combat operational stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. The brief reflection I offer follows principally from the lectures of Dr. Brett Litz, Associate Director of the National Center for PSTD--Behavioral Science Division at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boston, MA, as well as Dr. David Foy, Professor of Psychology in the Graduate School of Education at Pepperdine University. In addition, material was adapted from that provided in the course.

War changes people. Some of the most difficult wounds to heal are not those that are physical, but those inflicted on the human heart...those that are emotional and spiritual. Evidence of the stress of being in a combat environment comes from elevated suicide rates in combat zones. The stress of combat doesn't just disappear at the conclusion of a tour of duty. Stress is also felt in other ways as the soldier tries to reintegrate back into life. When a soldier returns from deployment, neither the soldier nor the family members are the same as before deployment. The soldier has changed from the experience of combat, and the family members have changed as well. Children are older, for instance. It may take time for them to "warm-up" to again to their parent, who have been gone a long time. Adjustment often must also take place with the spouse, who may have grown used to running the household a particular way and living a more independent life style. Hence, for both the service member and the family, returning home can be disorienting and can involve a stressful process of reintegration physically and psychologically with family and community.

Coming home from deployment can also mean making other adjustments that are difficult for many to appreciate. The soldier may very well experience a sense of disconnection with what had once been a familiar and comfortable environment. Family members, too, may note the change in the person they remember. This is so because, for many, the enormity of war is an experience that can shatter a basic sense of safety and the basic understanding of the meaning of life. On the one hand part of the mind can still be very much in the combat zone, while the other part is trying to reintegrate into life as a civilian. Something as simple as returning to a parked car in the grocery store lot can cause the individual to think about performing a bomb search before getting in his vehicle. Combat stress cannot be turned off like a faucet on the kitchen sink. It takes time to draw meaning and perspective out of the experience of combat. It takes time to shift gears fully and reintegrate back into family life and civilian life that now somehow feels strange.

The stress and effect of war can impact a person's spirituality. Spirituality is that which gives a person deeper meaning and purpose in life. After combat, spiritual distress may arise in different ways. There can be a challenge to believe in the invisible God who is Love, having experienced the reality of evil in the world--in particular, the hated and the destruction of war. Additional spiritual challenges can come from an altered sense of meaning in life; grief and loss issues; feelings of guilt; and confusion about core ethical beliefs.

Returning servicemen and women do not need fixing. Rather, they need affirmation and encouragement to heal from their losses. Above all, they need to feel the love of friends and family. All of us can play a role in helping our service members adjust to life in the civilian world. We need to provide a safe and welcoming environment. We should convey warmth and acceptance of the person. One of the great things we can do as believers is to pray for all servicemen and women. In particular, we can turn to the Servant of God, Fr. Vincent Capodanno for his intercession. Fr. Capodanno served the spiritual needs of his Marines to the point of sacrificing his life. He will undoubtedly hear the prayers and intercede for the spiritual good of those in uniform today. (For more on Fr. Capodanno, please see www.vincentcapodanno.org)

Above all, returning servicemen and women need to know God is alive and that his Son can give them life again. And, as John 3:16 teaches us, God has given the ultimate proof of his love for each one of us. The gift of God in Christ Jesus is the foundation and blueprint for knowing and believing in the love of God alive in the world.

This article first appeared online at www.CatholicMil.org and is used with permission.

Contact

CatholicMil.org
http://www.catholicmil.org/html/blog.php?b=FrDD&s=USS%20Iwo%20Jima,%20LHD7#
VA, US
Judy McCloskey - Founder, 540 635-3812

Keywords

combat stress PTSD military chaplain

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