I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom. -Bob Dylan I had been in the Army for less than a day when I was given responsibility over something. A book, the basic information that a trainee needs to navigate initial Read more…
If there’s one thing that service members, veterans, and their families are able to do, it’s adapt. There are many more things that they can do, but adaptability is one of the most important. Things change in the military literally overnight. While deployed to Afghanistan, the time for my next Read more…
Summary: Carl Castro, PhD, joined the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work faculty in 2013 after serving 33 years in the Army, where he obtained the rank of colonel, as the research director for the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families. Castro began his Read more…
“Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance. God help me, I do love it so.” – George S. Patton In a previous post, I wrote about how I hate war as only a warrior can. Something I wrote in there, however, was overshadowed by the Read more…
In previous posts, I’ve talked about two different paradoxes that combat veterans experience. One that I’ve noticed, the violence of action paradox, discusses how veterans experience emotions that are protective in combat, but problematic while at home, and vice versa. Another is the paradox of the veteran story, in which Read more…
This post was originally written as part of the ACA Blog Project. The original post can be found here. Here is the veteran story paradox: Veterans sincerely and adamantly want those that they care about, those they interact with, to know their story and understand their experiences, without having to tell them Read more…
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 LinkedIn points out a significant truth that seems to be Read more…