Veterans of War

The sound of a siren in the distance or the echo of a plane flying overhead is, to many of us, nothing more than a common occurrence, undeserving of second thought. For some veterans however, these sounds become triggers, instantly teleporting them to scenes of battle grounds and feelings of relentless stress.

This past Veteran's Day 3 Generations focused on PTSD among veterans. Once a taboo subject, our interview with Dr. Sonja Batten, Deputy Chief Consultant for Speciality Mental Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs, enlightened us all on the complexities of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She covered a lot of ground in a short time.

"With veterans we may first think of PTSD being the result of a combat event, veterans, just like any other individual can also, develop PTSD as a result of sexual trauma, a car accident, a training accident. And it's really the case that whether we're talking about veterans or civilians, that by in large, trauma is trauma."  - Dr. Sonja Batten

This focus on PTSD brings our work with Veterans full circle back to a really vital part of our mission at 3 Generations. We have found that the process of sharing their stories helps victims of atrocities alleviate the emotional and psychological burdens they carry. This is one important reason why we do the work we do.

In 2015 we are planning to go deeply into investigating the ways combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are reintegrating now that both wars are over. How they live with the hyper vigilance they have learned in combat and how they can best put that to use in civilian life.

We have some amazing stories to share: that of Vance a kid who did four tours of duty in Iraq rather than go to college. He had a different kind of education. Now what? We will share his wisdom as we continue to Value our Veterans.

Links:

• Hear Their Stories