Returning from war can be a minefield for veterans, but help is on the way

Returning from war can be a minefield for veterans, but help is on the way
Times-Herald
By Sarah Rohrs staff writer
POSTED: 09/22/2013

It's often called the war at home -- the battles veterans face after they return from fighting overseas only to find a nameless, faceless enemy has moved onto their home turf. Jeremy Profitt of Fairfield is one veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who faced his PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and is winning the battle, though recovery has been anything but easy.

Profitt is just one of millions of American veterans who have returned from battle to encounter a different, more subtle and even more dangerous sort on their own turf.

Recognizing the problems some veterans face in simply accessing their Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, several of these veterans are guiding the way and also calling for better outreach and education.

Finding the path

"There's a lot of resources out there for veterans but they don't hear about them. The VA does not advertise all the benefits that are available," said Clyde Gambles, a retired U.S. Army first sergeant. Gambles founded the U.S. Military Veteran Family Resource Center in Vallejo to help vets and their families.

Profitt is doing well, but that is not the case with many. Profitt said two soldiers he served with have committed suicide after trying to get help, off and on, after returning to civilian life.

Other veterans have refused help, don't know how to get it, or fail to recognize or admit they even need it.

Then, there are veterans so anxious to leave the service they never contact the VA for post-war assistance. Or, several said, they become paranoid about what might happen to them if they reenter the military system.

As a result thousands end up homeless. Or they turn to escapes from drinking and drugs, or take risks, get into legal entanglements and even wind up behind bars.

Profitt came back to Fairfield fighting the shadows, and trying to cope with explosive anger and mental anxieties.

"I felt alone and isolated. I had a hard time relating to people," Profitt said in a Times-Herald interview.
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