![]() The stories over the past week about military veterans living on the streets do not surprise me but these stories sadden and anger me. It is something we could have predicted years ago. The fact that these stories highlight issues around substance abuse and mental health problems stemming from military service and transitional shock should also come as a surprise to no one. But various spokespersons seem to be surprised. Really! The issues among homeless veterans are related to military identity and stove-piped mental health services within the military and in the civilian world, they are related to the policy of universality of service, and they are related to an outdated understanding and response to substance abuse. Substance abuse continues to be understood as a combination of behavioural/personality problems, childhood abuse, or sometimes as a result of operational stress injuries. Even here, under the present organization of federal health services divorced from the operational end of the system, there are only so many things that can be offered to serving personnel before recommendations are made for medical release. These men and women then become someone else’s problem. “For a moment, envision something similar to a large interpersonal GPS where every military member knows precisely where they are located—by service element, unit, trade, past deployments, rank, section, specific duties, unit NCOs and buddies. Where one fits, specific job duties, who they are accountable to, who matters and who does not are all known. There is a predictability to life based in a complex web of experiences and relationships that defines one’s military identity and personal expectations. Military members are first and foremost identified by these things, and when these are lost or taken away, there are no replacements to be found for many.” [Excerpt from Going Crazy ...] Next, come the battles with veterans affairs to convince bureaucrats and quasi-judicial bodies that struggles are service-related. Even when veteran issues are deemed to be service-related and despite the efforts of individual case managers, as a benefits oriented organization, VAC as it is presently constructed, can offer only limited support to veterans beyond financial compensation. There are no places for veterans and their families to go through a process of transitioning (a terribly misleading term by the way) to civilian life. Family strains, disorientation and re-adjustment anxiety, economic disruptions, and lingering mental distress become someone else’s problem to manage. Various advocacy groups and community organizations (usually comprised of ex-military people) have stepped into the fray to highlight and to help solve some of the issues but they are on their own. Federal bureaucracies seem perplexed so they will want more studies. So, I am sad and angry this week and I know other people who are upset by the stories. I hope you will do something constructive about your reactions.
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"Federal bureaucracies seem perplexed so they will want more studies." (Since this is not a court of law.) If the Feds strike more studies of this issue, it sure feels like they are avoiding dealing with it head on since you and others have already identified what needs to be done.
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John J. WhelanJohn J. Whelan, Ph.D., is the author of Going Crazy in the Green Machine, available now on FriesenPress. Archives
April 2020
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