Veterans, spouses learn 'new normal'

Veterans, spouses learn 'new normal'
By Kelly Jasper Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Cheryl Snover knew what to expect when her husband, Jeff Snover, returned from Iraq.


She was a volunteer with the Family Readiness Group, married to a man who was coming up on 18 years in the Army, and the daughter of a Vietnam veteran.

"I knew with my eyes wide open what was coming, and yet there were still surprises I wasn't prepared for," she said. "As a society, we shut people off. If you went to war, you didn't talk about it."

Though the Department of Veterans Affairs has the staff to address mental health, separation and reintegration issues, few programs address the long-range impact on veterans' marriages, said the Rev. Edward Waldrop, a chaplain at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center.

He's formed a support group for combat veterans and their spouses, a concept he will introduce to other VA chaplains across the country in June.

"What we're doing isn't being done anywhere else," the Rev. Waldrop said. "We're putting them in a situation with people who have been there, done that."
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