“VA’s Lessons for All Americans about Sept. 11”

The war on terrorism is raging within many of us.  This is part of a phenomenon that combat veterans of all wars have seen.  But now large numbers of American civilians are experiencing it, too.

Those of us from the “boomer generation” grew up with the war in Vietnam.  We had family and friends who went.  Some of us went and were changed forever.  For others, the difficulties that began with the homecoming continue today.  They are still struggling toward a healthy readjustment back to their families, communities and a feeling of safety.  

In decades of clinical services, compassionate care and outreach, plus government research and development, we have learned much about combat trauma.  In 1979, drawing upon those years of experience, VA created the Readjustment Counseling program – commonly known as Vet Centers – to help combat veterans in their own communities.  The Department of Veterans Affairs has a comprehensive system of hospital-based programs serving our nation’s veterans who suffer from combat trauma.

Now, people who were on the streets of New York City, in halls of the Pentagon, or in the fields of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and saw the violence last year on Sept. 11 are encountering many of the problems that combat vets experience.  Few, I’m sure, have related their experiences to “combat,” but they have survived an attack by a lethal enemy.  

They should know that, through long experiences treating combat veterans at the VA, we know what will work to help.  In fact, support groups and specialists and entire organizations exist to help those affected to cope in a healthy way.  We know that normal reactions to the experience of combat include things as simple as trouble sleeping, intrusive images, emotional distancing, problems with intimacy, heightened awareness and startle responses.  

The impact on the human psyche of witnessing what happened on September 11 is enormous.  It is impossible to process easily, and then neatly compartmentalize, the horror of that day.  If you lost a loved one, friend or co-worker, trauma is compounded by grief.  These two emotional reactions are very different experiences, but are occurring simultaneously, and without an understanding of the impact, the combination is almost impossible to cope with.  

VA has for decades successfully helped veterans recognize that much can be done to help with readjustment after trauma exposure.  In some cases, we have found that sitting with a trained combat veteran at a Vet Center and being in a safe place to share fears is enough to validate and then normalize reactions.  In other instances, just knowing that we are not “going crazy,” that our reactions are the natural defenses of our own minds and bodies activated to protect us, is enough to provide relief.  

Since Sept. 11, you may be struggling with lingering fears, you may find yourself ducking or flinching when an airliner passes overhead, you may start to sweat when you board a flight, you may find that you are shutting yourself off from those closest to you, or you may not be able to enter a high rise or sit by a window.  These are normal reactions – the responses of your mind and body to keep you safe.  But they may intrude on your daily life and cripple your ability to readjust in a healthy way.

Some may fear that if they “heal,” that if their pain eases, they will stop honoring those who have died.  One veteran sums his experience this way, “I see Joe in my mind often. Occasionally, I speak to him, but I know he won’t answer.  Over the years, the sound of his voice has faded from my memory.” 

“However, nothing has dimmed the memory of his brilliant smile and the sparkling eyes so common in vibrant young men,” this vet continues.  “Because he lives only in my mind, he looks exactly like he did when I saw him last, at our high school in June of 1966.”  

We do not forget.  We have seen with our Vietnam veterans that they continue to honor and remember their fallen comrades, and in that way, those we love do not ever truly leave us. 

If veterans are experiencing difficulties since Sept. 11, there is help available at VA.  For others, help is available if they reach out to their religious leaders, doctors, counselors, teachers or social workers.  Everyone can learn more about the after effects of trauma by visiting VA’s National Center for PTSD Web site at www.ncptsd.org. 

VA has learned so much from those who have been on the front lines and survived horrific events.  That expertise is available to everyone who feels the effects of last fall’s attack on America.  There is help.  There is understanding.  There are tools that can bring you back to a healthy, satisfying life.  

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