Saving lives on the front line

When traumatic events happen in our communities, crisis teams rush in because it has been found to be a preventative to PTSD. The availability of having someone to talk to, someone who will not judge or minimize what the survivors are going thru is a Godsend along with opening up with other survivors of the unique event they have in common. There is finally a change coming in the military as they try to approach PTSD in the troops more proactively.

Secretary of Defense Gates said this morning on the Today Show, the role of the Chaplains should not be minimized. This grated on my nerves a bit when the fact is, too many Chaplains do not know what PTSD is.
They know about spiritual crisis but understanding PTSD is out of reach for most of them. They have not lead the kind of lives that will allow them to understand without someone explaining it to them fully.

In yet another attempt to get the local clergy involved in stepping up to help the veterans and their families heal, a minister would not be moved to begin to understand. After all, how could he really? He knew all of his life what he wanted to be. He never drank or smoked, touched drugs or gambled. He never really had his faith tested beyond passing his classes at the seminary. He never had to worry about paying bills because his family provided him with everything he needed. He never had to risk his life for someone else. He never had to see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell or watch so many die as horribly as a soldier after an IED has blown him into pieces or witnessed the blood surrounding the body after a machine gun has pumped bullets into them. While he may care about the veterans, he is not willing to be aware of the kind of care they need from him.

At a Chaplains conference a military Chaplain admitted he knows very little about PTSD but was with the Marines in Iraq. Considering PTSD is an emotional wound and spiritual healing is vital in healing it, the military Chaplains should be fully educated on how to spot it and treat it as soon as they show signs they need help. We know the sooner we respond to the survivors after traumatic events, the lesser PTSD has the ability to invade into the soul. Having someone to talk to works wonders as long as the listener knows what to do with what was just said instead of just being there.

If they understand PTSD then they know they have to listen to what is being said as well as what is not being said. They need to pick up on the tone of voice knowing if the survivor is trying to release a deep, dark secret. They need to take the survivor back over the event and help them to see what happened was not their fault, or as with most of the time, they couldn't have done anything differently. Even in cases where they truly believe they were at fault, they need to be brought back to what happened before so they can stop seeing themselves as monsters.

They need help to see the big picture like suicide car bombers putting them on edge when a car comes too close too fast. They need to see that when an IED has taken out some in their convoy, they are watching for the next one at the same time they are watching for snipers and they react under stress. Their intention at the time is forgotten about and they need to be reminded what compelled them to do what they did.

Addressing PTSD is complicated but if the provider/responder knows what PTSD is, why it strikes some and not others, then most of what comes after is common sense. It would be a wonderful day if all military Chaplains were fully educated on PTSD as well as members of the local clergy. The spiritual wound is so deep that it changes every aspect of the veteran as well as the family, thus the community as well. Chaplains deployed need to know how to help as soon as possible and the clergy need to know how to help as well as possible for the sake of the veteran as well as the family.

Saving lives on the front line
Images: Photographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.

U.S. troops carry Sgt. Maj. Patrick Corcoran of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion to a helicopter on Aug. 12, 2009. He suffered extensive spinal cord injuries when the armored vehicle he was traveling in hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, in Wardak province. Corcoran, who is now being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center., had been with the military for about 20 years.

Before being shipped out of Afghanistan, Corcoran received treatment at the 8th Forward Surgical Team trauma center in a remote corner of Logar province.

Made of plywood and housed in a small tent, the center may not look like much, but it became the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan during photographer Erin Trieb’s six-week visit in mid-2009.

TODAY reports from Afghanistan
Dec. 8: TODAY's Matt Lauer and Al Roker report from Afghanistan as part of a two day special titled TODAY in Afghanistan and travel with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.