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Visible and Invisible Wounds

As thousands of troops return home from the battlefield with physical and mental injuries, the country is searching for a way to support, thank and encourage these brave men and women. The effort is assisted by those receiving care, because this group has embraced the mantra “help others to help themselves.” Some of the most impressive programs were started or are facilitated by the wounded in an attempt to ensure their comrades never have to go through the darkness they went through.

This is one of several articles published in our Veterans Focus. To see all articles from the series, please visit www.afcea.org/signal/veteran.asp.

 

 
 

An injured hero receives support from the community as he participates in a Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in New York. The program helps veterans reclaim confidence and strength through cycling.

Organizations offer help for veterans wounded in combat, many of whom are passing on the lessons they learned.

As thousands of troops return home from the battlefield with physical and mental injuries, the country is searching for a way to support, thank and encourage these brave men and women. The effort is assisted by those receiving care, because this group has embraced the mantra “help others to help themselves.” Some of the most impressive programs were started or are facilitated by the wounded in an attempt to ensure their comrades never have to go through the darkness they went through.

These wounds can be physical problems that are easy to identify or the mental disorders many veterans face that can go unacknowledged and ignored. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) seeks to help anyone who suffered any type of service-connected wounds, injuries or illnesses on or after 9/11 as it strives to fulfill its vision of fostering “the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation’s history.”

According to organization officials, as of September 1, 2010, operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have resulted in a total of 1,621 service men and women who required amputation. A representative provides further perspective explaining that more than 45,000 service members have been physically injured in the current conflicts, with hundreds of thousands coming back with “invisible” injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The WWP features programs to cover a range of needs. In it most immediate effort, the WWP sends backpacks to wounded service members as they arrive at various military trauma units. The packs are filled with essential care and comfort items such as clothing, toiletries and entertainment. Those a little further along in their recovery can take part in the Physical Health and Wellness program, which provides recreation, adaptive sports and overall strategies to help the injured remain physically engaged as they adjust to their new lifestyles. Warriors who have lost multiple limbs also can engage in secondary rehabilitation for prosthetic care.

Veterans seeking help with education and job placement can find what they need as well. Representatives from the WWP work with educational institutions to ensure that warriors’ needs are met and offer additional help to these students that go beyond campus services. Additionally, the organization offers specialized educational options. TRACK is an education center specifically for wounded warriors. It has facilities in Jacksonville, Florida, and San Antonio. Students enter the one-year program as a team, continuing the journey together, as they receive a jump-start on meeting their educational goals with support from the project.

The WWP’s Transition Training Academy allows participants to explore information technology as a potential career field. Students learn skills with real-world application that can increase their chances of future employment. Veterans ready to enter the workplace can take advantage of a program that helps them transition to the civilian work force by providing career counseling and job placement assistance.

The WWP also strives to reach out to veterans suffering from PTSD, which can occur with or without a physical injury. The organization tries to approach the issue from the
warrior’s perspective, understanding the stigma attached to mental care. Veterans can use the online tool WWP Restore to learn more about the condition and watch videos of fellow warriors sharing their experiences. Self-assessment tools and exercises also address readjustment challenges.

Warriors can gather more personal support through Project Odyssey, which challenges veterans to set goals and understand their new normal in an outdoor rehabilitative retreat with their peers. Nancy Schiliro took part in one of these retreats after suffering an injury while serving in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps. The wound resulted in the loss of her eye, and she eventually sank into depression. She sought support, but no one seemed to identify with her issues. Finally, a counselor recommended she go on a Project Odyssey that included only female veterans who had been wounded in combat. “We all had the one basic common bond. That’s what I really loved about WWP,” she says. “It was like an unwritten language when I walked into that room.”

 

Dan Pulsipher plays with Harley, the 10-month-old pit bull mix he adopted through the P2V program that pays for veterans and troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to rescue pets from shelters. The organization also pays veterinary costs. Pulsipher is an operation Enduring Freedom veteran who suffers from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and anxiety.

Schiliro says that in the WWP she found a group that truly cares about and wants to help veterans. She also appreciates that it focuses on veterans from the current conflicts who can understand each other’s experiences. Her involvement with the WWP helped her so much that she now works for the organization as a warrior outreach coordinator so she can use her firsthand knowledge to assist others. “We call it a sexy wound when you lose a limb or eye because people can see that and people can relate to that...,” she says. “...But how do you heal a broken heart? How do you heal a broken spirit?...There’s a big misconception with the general population that if you’re not missing a limb, you’re not wounded. That’s 100 percent incorrect.”

Schiliro believes firmly in the WWP slogan to “heal through mind, body and spirit” as she works to help the physically injured become active again and the mentally scarred to find the support they need. “WWP has a program for everything,” she says. And she understands that it might take time for a veteran to be ready for help. Once someone is entered into the WWP database, Schiliro explains that the organization reaches out regularly for years, inviting people to events whenever they feel ready to participate.

For those on the fence, she says, “The only advice I can give these guys and girls is to reach out and take a chance. I wasted three years of my life in depression...I wouldn’t want anyone to experience the three years of hell I had to experience. Just reach your hand out, and we’ll do the rest.” Wounded veterans wanting assistance from the WWP should sign up for the alumni program, which provides support and services. From there, the organization can find resources that fit the warriors and their families.

The WWP wants the public to remember these heroes’ sacrifices, and a large part of its mission is to ensure no one forgets. Members of the public can help by donating to or volunteering with the WWP, but they also can help through daily interactions. Schiliro says most veterans prefer not to be thanked because they feel they were just doing their job. Instead, she suggests, “If you do see a veteran, tell them welcome home.”

Another organization also features a veteran helping veterans, but in a different way. P2V (for Pets to Vets) matches veterans with animals—mainly dogs—from local animal shelters to help service members cope with their mental struggles. The founder suffered for eight years with depression and thoughts of suicide, but having a canine buddy helped him manage and begin the road to recovery. To make sure anyone who needs help receives it, P2V requires no diagnosis; the only qualification is having served.

The program currently is active in the Washington, D.C. area, New York and San Diego with plans to expand to other cities. It partners with certain shelters, but if those lack the right animal for the veteran, “we go to any other shelter in the area and pay the adoption cost,” explains Rebecca Forrest, the executive director. It also pays for a year’s worth of veterinary care at PetSmart animal clinics and has deals for reduced-cost care after that. Though the dogs are not trained to official service dog level, they do have some training and certification allowing them to live in places with no-pet or size-restriction policies.

Forrest explains that “Our organization is founded on the belief that heroes should have a choice.” Because of the philosophy, P2V says no to many well-meaning people who want to donate pet-care items. She says the organization instead gives each beneficiary a gift card so they can buy what they want. Making choices and the comfort of a pet can help veterans deal with the effects of PTSD, which can include fear, depression and violent outbursts. But P2V has a message for the public: “You shouldn’t be afraid of these people,” Forrest says. “That’s the last thing you should be. These people need our help, and we should be there for them.”

In addition to pets, P2V offers a support network. The program checks up on participants one day, one week, three months, six months and one year after a pet adoption. The veterans are welcome to contact P2V at any time for any reason. Forrest explains that one veteran called because of a problem with her neighbor’s dog. “They can call us for anything, not just their dog,” she says.

 Additional  Assistance

Homes for Our Troops
Builds specially adapted homes for wounded veterans
www.homesforourtroops.org
(866) 787-6677

Blinded Veterans Association
Promotes the welfare of blind veterans
www.bva.org
(800) 669-7079
bva@bva.org

Cause
Offers activities for members of the U.S. military recuperating physically and mentally from injuries received in Iraq and Afghanistan
www.cause-usa.org
(703) 750-6472

Veterans Crisis Hotline
Confidential support for veterans, troops and their loved ones
(800) 273-8255
www.veteranscrisisline.net

Pelican for Patriots
Free protector cases for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to carry prosthetics
www.pelican.com/PFP

Support for mental injuries is critical. According to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 18 veterans commit suicide every day. “It’s so important because a lot of these men and women don’t feel like they can ask for help,” Forrest says. In many cases, they have an easier time saying they want an animal companion. And she emphasizes that the love and giving are not one sided since all the animals come from shelters: “The heroes and their new companion animals really are saving each other.”

The U.S. Defense Department also is reaching out to wounded veterans. In addition to the rehabilitation options for those with physical bodily injuries, resources are being dedicated to help those with PTSD and Capt. Paul Hammer, USN, the director of the Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, explains that PTSD is a relatively new diagnosis, but warriors have been dealing with it for millennia under different names.

TBI has come to the fore recently because the improvised explosive device has become the weapon of choice in current conflicts. Experts are learning more about damage to the brain associated with blasts, which involve not only the pressure of a physical strike to the head as with more everyday injuries, but also the effects of the explosion. “It’s a very complex entity,” Capt. Hammer says.

The DCoE acts as an integrator and authority for knowledge on these conditions within the Defense Department, working to accelerate improvements. It has an outreach center available at all times that people can call to receive information. The DCoE can connect callers to the right resources. It also is involved in many efforts to engage veterans, troops and their families so they can access the help they require.

Capt. Hammer says technology is a great enabler, allowing officials to interact with more people and helping the injured creep closer to help instead of making one giant decision. Social media allows veterans and military members to communicate among themselves in a forum that connects people while still offering some privacy. The captain says that, especially on Facebook, people can ask questions and their peers, rather than military representatives, can provide answers.

A key to effective treatment of PTSD and TBI is early evaluation. Capt. Hammer points out that both conditions are fairly common, and by addressing them in a timely manner, veterans can have better outcomes and better functioning down the road. He says one of the big fears has been that people will perceive those who seek help for PTSD as weak, or that treatment will hurt careers. “More and more we are dispelling those things,” Capt. Hammer states, adding that inroads are being made toward overcoming such perceptions. When people have concerns about seeking help for PTSD, he likes to ask them if seeking help will hurt a career more than an improperly functioning brain. The captain says the same stigma does not apply to TBI. Rather, the major concern is people trying to shake off the injury and not seeking care
immediately.

Capt. Hammer also addresses concerns veterans might have about seeking help through the government medical system. He says the system of care might not be perfect, but what it can provide is outstanding. “I wouldn’t hesitate” to seek care from military treatment centers, he states. The officer also reminds patients that an entire system is in place to assist them. He urges anyone who receives substandard care to address the issue and demand the service they have earned.

RESOURCES
Wounded Warrior Project
www.woundedwarriorproject.org
(877) 832-6997 

P2V
www.p2v.org
info@pets2vets.org
(877) 311-4728

DCoE for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury
www.dcoe.health.mil
24/7 Help: (866) 966-1020 or online chat through website resources@dcoeoutreach.org
(800) 510-7897