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An open letter to the Veteran community
As I drive south, trying to lose myself in the monotonous traffic, I turn off the radio, roll down all the windows, and drift into my own thoughts.
In the rear view, Washington, D.C., and an amazing event filled with great people, great organizations, laughter, smiles, hugs, and handshakes, but most importantly Patriots. Ahead of me was a mental maze of conversations with myself, and some unexpected self-reflection.
I was processing so much of that evening’s events, but not all were from the place I had just left. Instead, I was focused on the events unfolding in Afghanistan.
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Reflections as a community
Our Service Members are once again being sent back to a country which the majority of us feel we left far too abruptly. Our Service Members are unfortunately heading back to be the literal line in the sand, while remaining as the compassionate tip of the spear that is our fighting force.
Can you imagine the internal struggles they are experiencing daily?
Many of these young Soldiers and Marines are excited for the opportunity to partake in such a mission, just as many of us would be. These same Soldiers and Marines currently on the ground are also going to experience something they were not prepared for: the mental traumas of experiencing human rights violations hand over fist.
While these Soldiers and Marines are ordered to hold the line, they are being forced to struggle with the daily mental, moral, and ethical battles raging within them.
The Soldiers and Marines standing at the front lines are mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters. They are human beings. I’m reminded of one video where the cries of this young girl can be heard over all the other commotion of the crowd. She screams “Help me, Help me, Taliban coming, HELP ME!”
As a father, I drift further down a rabbit hole and begin to think. How would I feel standing there, knowing that, if this girl is caught, she will be married off to a man twice, three times her age, where she will be abused, physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually, for the rest of her life?
I can’t fathom what the fathers on the line are feeling, but if it’s anything similar to what I’m feeling, I couldn’t take very much of it.
In the past I have talked to friends and strangers who have had incidents involving kids, and the majority of them carry their own moral burden differently. Regardless of the differences in dealing with that burden, they all share one commonality: they will forever carry that child’s face with them.
The Soldiers and Marines there today will meet a very similar fate. The ones on the front line, they will not be able to help everyone. Sooner or later, violence will erupt in those streets and there will be losses of life. Unfortunately, our brave and unwavering Soldiers and Marines will face that danger, and be forced to make hard decisions, most likely resulting in more death.
My thoughts raced. The low, droning hum of the semi trucks, and the rattling and tapping in the distance was eerily reminiscent of deployment, close your eyes and you’re there.
My thoughts scattered from scenario to scenario, facing another mental and moral struggle with each one! Time and time again, all I can imagine is the atrocities our Soldiers and Marines will face. Since the ‘fall’ of Kabul, the general consensus among so many of our conversations in the past few days has been anger, and a sense of betrayal by our Government, and rightfully so.
This is not the first time our Government has forgotten our Service Members, nor will it be the last.
What we can do as the Veteran community is important. Collectively, we need to ensure that we are well prepared to assist these individuals as they return from this assignment. We need to be preparing now to provide these Service Members with the necessary resources to help combat these traumas. We need to learn from the forgotten Service Members before us, and not allow our comrades to return home without our support.
The MENTAL HEALTH of these returning Service Members MUST be the priority. The well-being of them, and their families, depends on it. We must be willing to face these new challenges as they return, and we must remember that these people and their families comprise the Veteran community. Our Government has shown us that the Veteran community as a whole, especially on social media, can affect positive change.
Now, its time we take charge as a community and let these concerns be heard.
Best Regards,
T.E.
