America Supports You: Group Lets Troops Know It's 'Hear 4 You'

23. August 2007
America Supports You: Group Lets Troops Know It's 'Hear 4 You'
By Samantha L. Quigley American Forces Press Service
America Supports You: Group Lets Troops Know It's 'Hear 4 You'
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2007 - A group that supports wounded servicemembers and their families is offering troops a friendly ear with its newest program, "Hear 4 You." The no-cost program that launched Aug. 1 aims to develop a network of volunteers to listen to military personnel and their families affected by post-deployment stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The program is one of many services offered by Silver Star Families of America, which supports families of wounded servicemembers. The group is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"We are just there to listen," Janie Orman, Silver Star Families of America's vice president, said. "We are not counseling. We want everyone to know that. We don't take the place of a (mental health) professional in any way."

Thirteen Silver Star Families of America volunteers man e-mail or instant-messaging accounts to answer concerns of servicemembers. Military personnel or family members wishing talk to a volunteer through the Hear 4 You program can follow the link from the Silver Star Families of America Web site, http://www.silverstarfamilies.org/. The program's Web site shows which volunteers are online at any given moment.

All volunteers have received training in how to spot signs of post-traumatic stress disorder or suicidal thoughts, Orman said.

"In that particular area, if we feel or get a sense of that in any way, we advise them ... to seek help," she said. "If needed, we'll try to help them find that right then."
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