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HeroVet:
PTSD Veteran Counselors 
Special Mental Help from Give an Hour Saves Lives,
For Veterans by Veterans
By
Roy Asfar,
Special to Veterans Advantage
One of the biggest issues
facing the U.S. Military since 9/11 – Post
Traumatic Stress Syndrome – is
threatening our nation with a more lasting impact than
any prior modern day military conflict, and it's long-term
burden is being shouldered by military families across
the country. Fortunately, a grass roots effort led
by extremely patriotic mental health professionals
is gaining traction nationwide and producing results.
Veterans Advantage recognizes those who are rising
to meet this 21st Century challenge through their heroic
contributions to our military heroes back at home by
offering the gift of their professional counseling.
As profiled below in a series of exclusive interviews with Veterans Advantage, many of these great Americans, coincidentally, have
served our nation and witnessed the lasting effects of
battle, too.
Jeffrey N. Rose, Ed.S, LMFT:
Army Veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, came under fire in a SCUD attack |
“The
transition period is going to be difficult for them
coming back,” said Jeffrey N. Rose,
Ed.S, LMFT, (right) a family therapist part of the
Give an Hour network, a national team of professional
therapists and counselors who are donating their time
to those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and a
Veteran of the first Gulf War in 1991. He is also a
sufferer from battle – 70% service disabled due
to the effects of a SCUD missile and Gulf War Syndrome.
“No matter how you slice it, no matter how hard
you try, it’s going to be a different person
coming home,” he says.
Among troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,
approximately 40 percent of soldiers, a third of Marines,
and half of the National Guard members report psychological
problems, but mental health services are in short supply
and in dire need of alternative approaches to solving
this new health care crisis, says organizers.
“We want to normalize what our military personnel
and their families are experiencing and support the
sacrifices that they are making by providing critical
mental health support at no cost,” said Dr. Barbara
V. Romberg, founder and president of GAH, relatively
new on the scene since 2004.
Val
Reyes served on the ground
counseling troops in Afghanistan at the start of
combat there |
For some, the dedication
has been ongoing for years. Val Reyes brings 22 years
as a social work officer for US Army, and is currently
Commander of the 113th Medical Company, Combat Stress
Control Unit, an Army Reserve group based in California.
He was first mobilized for combat during the start
of the war in Afghanistan as one of the first mental
help professionals on the ground to mitigate combat
stress immediately upon onset. It's goal at the time
was “improving the readiness
of the soldiers, so they can return to the front as
soon as possible.”
Nowadays, his passion is
preparing the military for a happy life after service
on that very same battlefield. “You
want to ensure you acknowledge the soldier’s
dedication to duty, make him aware he did something
good for himself and the country, and acknowledge the
sacrifices he is going through.”
Dr. Lori Buckley,
Army MP in the 1980s |
Many
times, the family support network for the Veteran needs
it's own help. For Dr. Lori Buckley, (left) an Army
MP in the 1980's and family therapist in southern California,
families are thrust into change because relationships
change and become complex. “There’s a lot
of loss, loss of the relationship that they counted
on they would have.”
“Going away and being in a war is life changing.
Especially with lots of young men and women going,
their lives are being changed in a drastic way,” she
adds. “There’s a lot of growing up that
you do.”
With that in mind, Rose, for instance, is offering
free family group counseling sessions to residents
in his area. He also expects a lot more interest as
about 1,500 local National Guardsmen are due to return
to his area from Iraq very soon. He also notes that
we all can do our part to encourage a better media
message be communicated about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan
because a disproportionately negative assessment of
the war can exacerbate brewing PTSD conditions in a
soldier.
“They come [stateside] mid-tour and see news
reports on how things are going. Then they go back
over there and say ‘oh man…’”
It’s a responsibility
that the Give an Hour network also feels, and is
helping lead the charge towards communicating and
healing wounds that no one can see but often runs
very deep.
“We will be educating
the military community and broader public about these
mental health needs in hope of helping Veterans keep
their lives and families intact.”
Editors Note: Give an
Hour is a partner of Veterans Advantage. For more
on our partnership, click
here
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