After a long, hard stint in the military, which most likely included multiple deployments, many soldiers look forward to coming home and transitioning into civilian life. In fact, they are so eager to begin the conversion process that they pay very little attention to the explanation of the benefits they have earned through years of valor, commitment, and dedication. The resulting lack of knowledge can create hardships for discharged soldiers and their families.

What information should these veterans acquire to make their journey back into civilian life more welcoming and satisfactory? First, they should become aware of the federal and state entitlement programs that are available to them . . . and learn how to enroll in them. Second, they should understand how to access health care for themselves and their family members through the Veterans Administration and through local veterans’ centers. Third, they should become familiar with the new GI Bill and the educational benefits it makes available to them and their family members. Fourth, they should become aware of their local job market and learn how to accomplish job-related skills, i.e., job search, resume writing, interviewing, et cetera.

The military establishment is not intentionally keeping important transition information from its veterans; even so, it has come to their attention that a growing number of discharged soldiers are unaware of the benefits they have earned through their service. This lack of knowledge creates undue burdens during what is already a challenging time.

Some branches of the military are adding new programs that will help level the playing field for discharged troops. One beneficial change is to offer a class that is focused exclusively on benefits, and to offer it just before the soldiers are ready to leave the military. The timing of the class is important. Veterans are most focused on gathering information about their civilian transition just before they are released from service.

We thank our military members for their service, and we want them to enjoy the benefits they have merited. A civilian transition is difficult enough without unnecessary hardships. Telemental health counseling, via state-of-the-art video technology, can help our troops ease their way into civilian life. They can get the help they need through this safe, private, and convenient approach to therapy.

Nesta Aharoni

www.AccessToTherapy.com

On May 31, Memorial Day, Jeanne Phillips of “Dear Abby” printed letters from soldiers and combat medics that were touching and riveting. The topic of the day was combat medics and the emotional pain they endure when they are forced to make divine battlefield decisions, such as who gets treated without delay and whose treatment gets postponed.

Apparently, these letters were in response to an earlier correspondence that detailed the alarming anguish a particular combat medic experienced when a critically wounded comrade pushed him away in order to free him to treat other troops who had a better chance of surviving.

We can all concur that what this medic did when he allowed himself to be pushed away was a sensible act because, after all, it permitted him to save the maximum number of soldiers that day. He made a rational decision. But was it emotionally palatable? No. To the contrary, it was a grief- and guilt-inducing choice.

Other combat medics wrote in to say that they, too, suffered psychological repercussions after helplessly watching some of their brave friends die. The nightmares and flashbacks that resulted pressed them to seek help, and the treatment they received allowed them to keep their battlefield images under control.

Combat medics demonstrate courage under grueling conditions. As a group, they triage their buddies and decide which ones are most likely to survive. At all times, their goal is to save the greatest number of soldiers they can. And while they are working tirelessly to save human life, they are also under attack by the enemy. Combat medics have one of the highest per capita casualty rates in the armed forces.

The soldier who pushed the medic away was well aware that he was forfeiting his life for the good of his unit and his country. His unselfish act enabled other warriors to survive. Even so, the combat medic involved is only human, and his sorrow is burdensome to bear.

I salute our heroic combat medics. And I am sorry for the emotional load they carry. I hope they all find the strength to seek professional help that will enable them to carry on with greater ease. Telemental health counseling, via state-of-the-art video technology, can help our combat medics get the help they need; it is a safe, private, and convenient approach to therapy.

Nesta Aharoni

www.AccessToTherapy.com

So many of us reflect on the daily challenges our brave soldiers face , and we wish them the best . . . a job well done, a return to loving family, and a sense of health and well being. But how many of us take the time to consider the military chaplains who work tirelessly to make our sincere wishes for our troops come true?

If you were to talk to a military chaplain, he or she would tell you that the work they do extends beyond feeling honored to contribute to their country; it reaches into the realm of rewarding and momentous experiences. To them, ministering to young adults who put their lives in harm’s way every day is as gratifying as it is meaningful.

What type of work does a military chaplain do? Navy Chaplain Capt. Ollis Mozon of Camp Pendleton expresses it well: “. . . help them make healthy decisions, get through crisis, have the strength to face the horrors of war, and help them come through it.”

And the work isn’t easy. If their soldiers are deployed in 125-degree heat, that’s where the Chaplains will be. If the chaplains have to drop down from a helicopter to minister to their troops, so be it. The job requires them to coexist, side by side, with their men and women in uniform, and that can be a tremendous physical challenge. Chaplains suffer from the stress of war, loss of life, and longing for family, just like the warriors they tend to. They pray with their troops, they counsel them, and they prepare them for the trip back home.

While the military trains its warriors to perform their jobs admirably, the military chaplains reinforce them as human beings who need counseling and prayer in some very dangerous and demanding settings.

We applaud our military chaplains, as they use every tool in their arsenal to accomplish inspiring work. Real-time, face-to-face video therapy can help military chaplains do their jobs efficiently, privately, and conveniently.

Nesta Aharoni

www.AccessToTherapy.com

I was cranky the other day when I was preparing breakfast because I had just sliced my index finger with a sharp knife. I felt a searing sting as I frantically repositioned my dripping blood out of the vicinity of my vegetable omelet. The pain and the mess stopped soon enough, but the episode left me feeling annoyed. To console myself, I sat down at my cozy breakfast nook where I sipped my preferred coffee, ate my favorite breakfast, and started to peruse the morning newspaper, which had been delivered right to my front door. That’s when I saw the story of two courageous and tough-as-nails Marines who put me and my petty whining to shame.

In 1962, Tough Marine No. 1, Donald “Woody” Hamblen, fried his left leg in a 12,000-volt electrical line when his out-of-control parachute aimed him in a direction he did not want to go. In order to save his life, the doctors had to remove his leg. It is undeniable that facing a new legless reality took tremendous courage. But the type of grit I am talking about here about goes way beyond learning how to deal with a prosthetic device. Two years after the accident, Hamblen re-enlisted for another nine years of full-on, active duty with the Marine Corps. In fact, in the history of the Marine Corps, Hamblen was the first active-duty amputee. He served in Vietnam for 30 months . . . with a prosthetic leg.

So who does a strong and resilient man like Donald “Woody” Hamblen admire? Well, that would be Cpl. Matthew Bradford, a Marine who recently became the first blind, double-amputee on active duty. Bradford’s injuries were the result of a roadside bomb exploding underneath him in Al Anbar province. I think we can all agree that Bradford qualifies as our Tough Marine No. 2. Not only is Bradford living a heroic and productive life, but he is also looking forward to mentoring other soldiers through the torment of PTSD, anger, and depression.

Courageous! Generous! Gutsy! Determined! These are words that come to mind as I stare at my bandaged finger. These Marines are inspirational. They have taught me to put my trivial troubles into a wider perspective. Telemedicine (real-time video therapy) makes it easy to reach soldiers like Hamblen and Bradford who are trying hard to overcome physical and emotional challenges. I hope every one of our brave troops receives the help and support they need to allow their inner strength to shine over all of us.   

Nesta Aharoni

www.AccessToTherapy.com

A new soldier has completed his first deployment in Afghanistan. After witnessing unspeakable horrors (a buddy killed when a mortar set his tent ablaze, a nine-year-old boy mistakenly shot in the head, a young Marine sniper killed on his first tour overseas), he returns home and works tirelessly to reconnect with his wife and children. After a few months of family bonding, he is sent back to the Middle East for his second deployment. And then the cycle repeats … three and then four times.

There is no way to predict how a soldier will react to multiple deployments. Some never have a problem. But others come home feeling depressed, alienated, and isolated; these soldiers often suffer with insomnia, flashbacks, anger, and drinking. More than 2 million of our military men and women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and 40 percent of them have served at least two tours. Most of those tours have lasted longer than six months.

According to Dr. Paul Ragan, an associate professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University, “Trauma is cumulative. It embeds itself in your brain, and you can’t shake it loose.” Military surveys have confirmed this statement. A 2009 military report found that increasing numbers of deployments resulted in increasing levels of psychological problems. In fact, they established that the rate of PTSD was about 2 ½ times higher for soldiers who fulfilled two deployments as compared to one.

Why do multiple deployments result in increased psychological problems? The experts suggest three possible contributing factors: direct exposure to combat, separation from family, and lack of restorative time off. No matter where each individual soldier lands on the PTSD scale, telemedicine (specifically real-time video therapy), may be an ideal, safe, and convenient way to reach soldiers who have completed multiple deployments and get them the help they need and deserve.

Nesta Aharoni

Access to Therapy Network

www.AccessToTherapy.com