Combat to Culde-sac

[ladybluefl]

Thank you for giving part of yourself so the we can live a safer life here in America!

I am a 19 year police officer, (Marine daughter) and I am trained in police stress/trauma response which includes dealing with the stress an officer and his family incurs after killing someone in the line of duty. I am intimately involved with a soldier who has several "combat" tours and returns back home to a "regular/normal" life... I would like some feedback from "Combat" soldiers who have to come back home and immediately turn the switch off from war and being a soldier to the "normal man" he was before he left to fight for ALL of us here at home. I know what works for us; can you share what works for you? Unless you've been there-done that; no one understands!

I can say the soldiers/marines I have met are very courageous; but some are having very NORMAL adjustment issues that people do not understand! If you have combat experience and this rings a bell for you; please share your thoughts. I have been working with our returning Soldiers and Marines with some very complex incidents. Any suggestions for what can be done upon your return next time would be appreciated!

[Armygirl4Ever]

Thank you for giving part of yourself so the we can live a safer life here in America!

I am a 19 year police officer, (Marine daughter) and I am trained in police stress/trauma response which includes dealing with the stress an officer and his family incurs after killing someone in the line of duty. I am intimately involved with a soldier who has several "combat" tours and returns back home to a "regular/normal" life... I would like some feedback from "Combat" soldiers who have to come back home and immediately turn the switch off from war and being a soldier to the "normal man" he was before he left to fight for ALL of us here at home. I know what works for us; can you share what works for you? Unless you've been there-done that; no one understands!

I can say the soldiers/marines I have met are very courageous; but some are having very NORMAL adjustment issues that people do not understand! If you have combat experience and this rings a bell for you; please share your thoughts. I have been working with our returning Soldiers and Marines with some very complex incidents. Any suggestions for what can be done upon your return next time would be appreciated!

I don't think that anyone has the ability to come home and turn the switch off and go back to "normal'. Actually, I think the whole sense of normal changes for many when they return. My husband is currently on his second deployment overseas and he came back a very different person, but I would be naive to think that he would experience all that he did and come back the same.

I would say that the approach for this subject, would be on coping skills versus trying to go back in time. Helping our servicemembers learn to cope with the changes in themselves versus trying to go back in time.

[Fireball]

I don't think that anyone has the ability to come home and turn the switch off and go back to "normal'. Actually, I think the whole sense of normal changes for many when they return. My husband is currently on his second deployment overseas and he came back a very different person, but I would be naive to think that he would experience all that he did and come back the same.

I would say that the approach for this subject, would be on coping skills versus trying to go back in time. Helping our servicemembers learn to cope with the changes in themselves versus trying to go back in time.

I have to agree...

[az_Ranger74]

turning it off consiously is the easy part, its the sub consious that haunts you. I will smell a smell or hear certain things and the hair on the back of my neck stands up,sleep sucks for awhile but eventually you face it and make friends with it and accept it cause it never goes away completly.Saying that some folks are mentally "wired tight" to begin with so it just becomes something you deal with, others who may not have thier stuff wired tight to begin with are gonna be the ones that lose it.I had to deal with both types when we got back.But sure normal can be had. It was my job long and short. But thats just me. But then again I am cinsidering going back in. So maybe I am crazy!

[MSG Glenn]

The way I dealt with it was to go back in after 14 years. Adjustment wasn't too hard for me but there was still some nagging memories that would put me in a daze for a few seconds. Nothing that affected my life.

Once I got back in uniform most of my leadership had been in 'Nam & we would talk things out & usually have a laugh about funny things that happened.

Once Desert Shield/Desert Storm happened it just about completely washed away any weirdness I had left in me. The old mind just said "new mission, new worries, forget about the past which can no longer do you any harm".

I wouldn't give up either experience for the world.

[az_Ranger74]

I totally agree w msg glenn