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Latest Homecomings Articles
"Missing My Team"
May 10, 2013:
"I still miss my team." David, an Army Recon Vietnam veteran had been wounded and was receiving treatment at a hospital in Vietnam when his team went out on patrol and never came back.
Traumatic Brain Injuries Are Finally Being Recognized As Real Wounds
May 6, 2013:
CBS 60 Minutes presented a very powerful piece last night, May 5, 2013, on traumatic brain injuries (TBI's) as real, and this is important, physical wounds. TBI is not the same as PTSD. It is something completely separate from PTSD, but can be an extremely debilitating factor if both are being experienced by the same person.
One Veteran's Vow To His Best Friend Is Finally Kept
May 4, 2013:
This story is being repeated more and more these days. The Joint POW/MIA Command organizes 90-100 missions each year all over the world trying to recover the remains of service members listed as missing from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War. Every month they positively identify six to eight of the MIA's and take them off the list.
White House Gets Behind The Hiring of Veterans
May 3, 2013:
The private sector has been making commitments to hire veterans for some time now. For example, Walmart, UPS, and others have been doing this for some time. The White House has recently announced a "significant new effort to reduce unemployment and improve job prospects among veterans." They say that they are "enlisting the support" of U.S. companies to hire 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years. I am pleased to see a coordinated effort by both the public and private sectors in this effort. All such efforts are to be welcomed, and might I add, encouraged. It is after all, the right thing to do.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
Apr 29, 2013:
This young U.S. Navy veteran has a very important message for all veterans. "Don't wait if you are having problems." If you are recognizing that you are having problems, or are hearing that from others, don't wait to go see the local VA. You have earned those benefits. They are there for you. Don't hesitate to use them.
Talk With Other Soldiers
Apr 25, 2013:
This Army medic veteran says it better than most. He gives as clear an insight into the difficulties of transitioning from war experiences back into civilian life as anyone I've seen in these videos before. He knows the problems, because he has not only experienced them, but he had faced them head-on, looked at them for what they are, and has found the most useful tools to be put to use in handling them in the healthiest, most effective of ways.
Eddie Agosto's Hope Restored
Apr 24, 2013:
Eddie Agosto joined the Marines at age 19 to escape the mean streets of Brooklyn. In 1980, President Carter sent a small force into Iran to try to liberate the American Embassy hostages that were being held by revolutionary Iranian element. It ended in a disastrous crash in the desert during a sandstorm. Eddie was on that mission. He was in another helicopter. He and his comrades had to rescue the injured and hastily bag the ruined bodies of the deceased and get out of there before their failed mission was discovered by Iranian revolutionary forces. What he saw and experienced, and what he had to do for his comrades, sent him on a downward spiral into the darkness of PTSD on his return home.
She Felt Out of Place In Civilian Life
Apr 17, 2013:
This young lady has a lot to say to us about separation from the military and re-entry into civilian life. But she has even more to say about recognizing PTSD and being present to those who are going through it.
Getting My Life Back Together
Mar 25, 2013:
This veteran had to fight hard to get his life back together. He had to fight through alcohol issues, substance abuse, and the very clear symptoms of PTSD. He was taught to not share his problems. He learned to keep things in and it effected his ability to work, and his relationships.
We Are Failing our Post 9/11 Veterans
Mar 25, 2013:
I happened to catch an NBC evening new report tonight and I could not help put sit down and write an article in response to it. According to the report, we currently have over 900,000 post 9/11 war veterans who have applied for disability benefits with the Veterans Administration and are having to wait for those services that they deserve and need for, on average, over 270 days, or almost a full year. In major cities, like New York City, that waiting time skyrockets to over two years.
Triggering PTSD
Mar 18, 2013:
One of the strange things about PTSD is that it can arise, or be triggered at times quite separate from the events that caused it. This is especially true when the early symptoms are not dealt with properly at the time that they first arise.
Heading Towards A Better Life
Mar 12, 2013:
"Is this the way you want to live?" This is a very important question for any of us, but for a military, combat veteran, it is a life and death question in search of real answers.
I Once Was A Warrior
Mar 7, 2013:
The poem below is written by Gary Bryson. It is a poetic handling of what it means to be a warrior, both on the battlefield and on your long journey to "get back home." It identifies thoughts and feelings that are going to be familiar to many warriors. The poem honors those who have gone to war, those who have been wounded, and to those who continue the struggles related to the experiences warriors go through.
The Price Our Military Families Pay
Mar 5, 2013:
This is a very important reflection on the price that our military families often pay for their service to all of us. Though the costs are great, not just on the battlefield, but at home on their return, there is real hope and healing that happens as well. Those who have been tested and come though are always stronger, more mature, better than they were before. You can see this in this beautiful young woman who talks about her experiences in this video.
Golf: A Refuge For Veterans
Mar 1, 2013:
There is a place called American Lake, near Tacoma, Washington. It is a unique place. There is a golf course there, the only golf course in the United States that was created and designed expressly for disabled veterans. Young and old veterans find this place magical. They find there the mutual support of fellow veterans, and a place where they can forget their problems for a few hours, playing a round of golf, just like any body else.
