At the end of last month, the largest deployment of Oregon National Guard soldiers since World War II returned to Oregon from a 10-month deployment in Iraq. These 2,700 war veterans, with 400 from Lane County alone, are reintegrating into civilian life, returning to their homes and families, considering their educational options for the summer and fall, and trying to adapt to surroundings that now seem foreign after all they’ve been through.
As these 400 make an effort to blend with the 35,000 veterans currently living in Lane County, it’s important that members of the community not only continue to welcome them, but help them find the support they need.
There seems to be a general apathy toward the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The country appears desensitized to the wars and unmotivated to act either in protest or support.
Protests are seldom seem around campus. The “I support our troops” ribbons have faded. It seems people have forgotten that America is at war, but men and women continue to serve their country abroad.
Veterans are returning, having made whatever sacrifice necessary, to an uninterested populace more concerned with the affairs of day-to-day life than any war in the Middle East. Veterans become invisible, camouflaging themselves among civilians, often not knowing how to relate or that they need help. It can be an angering, terrifying, depressing and alienating experience.
The Lane County public information officer released a statement welcoming the National Guard home — with a warning that 30 to 40 percent of returning soldiers may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma. Physical wounds are another common ailment. The soldiers also face a barrage of issues on other fronts, including marital, employment and mortgage crises and homelessness. A lot can change in 10 months.
While deployed, soldiers never get a break. There are no safe places in the war zones. They live for months on end, enduring ceaseless combat stress, even while off duty.
Every day, 18 veterans attempt suicide nationally. More veterans with ties to Oregon have committed suicide after returning home than have died in the line of duty in our current wars. The majority of veteran suicides happen in the United States, not while deployed, and repeated deployments increase the likelihood of suicide.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the University’s veteran services officer, said Oregon veterans are at 35 percent unemployment and 50 percent underemployment, and many of those freshly returned will be looking to use the new post-9/11 GI Bill a month from now when their separation pay and leave begin to dwindle.
The statistics are dire, but the campus community can help. It’s as easy as listening to veterans, without asking a lot of questions. Simply listening to how they felt then or feel currently is enough. A friendly face, an open mind and an open ear go a long way. The University should prepare for an influx of new or returning veteran students and be prepared to direct them to the appropriate local services.
Fitzpatrick’s office is located in 170 Susan Campbell Hall. The veteran services officer position was created a year ago, specifically to assist an influx of veterans returning to the University, and he is here to help in most instances. The Vet Center, located at 1255 Pearl St., just six blocks from campus, offers counseling and other services to wartime veterans and is completely confidential. The center will share nothing with Veterans Affairs unless veterans agree. The Veterans and Families Student Association, a student union for veterans, is in Suite 2 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Veterans Affairs clinic for medical issues is located at 100 River Ave.
The veterans are already here, and many will be at the University in the coming terms. The services and support networks are there, and there is no reason these heroes should suffer any more. If you know a veteran, be a friend. Direct them to the appropriate services. They need the community’s support. This war needs no more casualties on the home front. All that’s required is a little compassion.
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