Mental Health
We Lost Another Veteran Yesterday
I don’t know who they were, but they odds are nearly 100% perfect that it’s true. It will be true on the day I post this, and it will be true on the day that you read it. Another Veteran Read more…
Leadership
Never Underestimate the Power of the LGOP
As I was listening to Jay Knight’s podcast, Veteranology, and the outstanding interview with Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Wayne Robinson, a phrase that succinctly describes the uniqueness of a veteran’s mindset popped into my mind: LGOP. CSM(R) Robinson was speaking Read more…
Mental Health
Through the Other Side of the Valley of Death: Veterans and Posttraumatic Growth
There has been much discussion of the adverse effects on exposure to trauma and combat by veterans, and rightly so. In an all-volunteer force, citizens join the military of their own free will, with varying degrees of understanding about what Read more…
Awareness
View of a Veteran: I’m No Hero, and I’m Not Special
Get any three veterans who have deployed together in a room, and you’re in for a lively conversation. Ask who is the strongest, fastest, and smartest, and you will get a variety of responses. Often, each will argue that they Read more…
Moral Injury
Injury of the Soul: Moral Injury and Combat Vets
In recent posts, I have discussed what PTSD is (and what it isn’t) and how difficult the transition between combat and home life is due to the violence of action paradox. These posts were intended to help raise the awareness Read more…
Awareness
The Violence of Action Paradox: Emotional Contradiction of Veterans
The violence of action paradox is this: those actions and emotions that protected us in combat are dangerous to us at home, and those actions and emotions that are supportive at home were dangerous in combat. A recent discussion on Read more…
Awareness
The Things They Carry Now
Even before joining the Army, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried was a powerful read; going back and looking at it now, from the other side of military life, is even more meaningful. In a further attempt to help keep Read more…
Uncategorized
Combat: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
For veterans, their time in the service really was both the best and worst of times. Their time in combat, even more so. Dickens had it right; like many fundamental truths that seem to be around, this one resonates. In Read more…
PTSD
PTSD: What It Is (And What It Isn’t)
There has been much discussion regarding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans in the past thirty years, and rightly so. It is a very real condition that has a significant impact on the daily life of veterans, their families, and the Read more…
Advocacy
Awareness is the Key to Recovery for Veterans
In January of 2016, I had the privilege of speaking at the Colorado State Capitol Building. Several state lawmakers have started the first ever Veterans Caucus at the Colorado General Assembly, with the goal of gathering together legislators from both sides Read more…