Before class: What questions do you have for our guest, Jeramie Connor? He is training to be a Marine Corps Officer and will visit our class today.
After class: What follow-up questions & comments do you have?
Relatedly, vets have unique end-of-life issues:
http://www.nhpco.org/press-room/press-releases/unique-needs-veterans-end-life
1. Do you ever have thoughts that this is not where you are supposed to be?
ReplyDelete2. What do you say to someone who thinks that they can't handle all the death that they will see?
3. What do you do to stay calm and down to earth with everything that is going on?
I was truly surprised that the marine officers did not have more training on how to handle death, especially while working in such a deadly environment. Also, I never thought about how the quick turnaround time for the soldiers coming home would have such a great affect on their likely hood of developing PTSD. The only question that I developed after listening to the marines talk was; how has the training and experiences in the military affected their everyday life choices while off duty in the States?
ReplyDeleteI agree with matt I find it very odd that they do not get training for death when it is very common in battle. I get why the send them somewhere to "de-load" from battle instead of going straight back home. It will be a complete shock and will be hard to adjust back to "normal"life.
DeleteI completely agree it was unbelievable that he had had no direct training dealing with death and in my opinion that could Be a major reason so many former soldiers are struggling with PTSD and also could contribute to the high rates of suicides.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that neither of the marines really addressed the suicide issue, because it seems to be growing in number of deaths every time you look. PTSD is a legitimate disorder so I was confused and astounded that both of them seemed to skirt around the topic.
ReplyDeleteThe question that I thought of after the speakers came, was how has their life changed know that they are a Marine. Do they make different choices in life because they see and think differently than we might.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised by the lack of training they receive on these issues. It would seem that with the issues like you guys said above (being surrounded by death, PTSD, etc.) increasing that this would be something we would need/want to address. We do so many other things to protect them, why let let these issues go?
ReplyDeleteAgreed. You would think with the increasing number of suicides they would address it more. But I'm wondering if the military doesn't want to blame the suicides on PTSD because it might hurt recruiting potentials.
DeleteYeah I was also really shocked that they don't get any training on specific issues such as suicide. I would think that this probably happens a lot in the military as well as people saving one another resulting in suicide. I wonder if it will ever be implemented in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I have also thought that there should be a better assistance program from veterans. They served our country and sacrificed their potential lives for our freedom. It aggravates me when I see a homeless vet on the streets. I wish the government would set up some kind of assisted living for vets that had programs to deal with PTSD related issues
DeleteI wondered how there time and service as a marine changed how they look at life because they see two completely different ways of living. I feel like they will be more selfless and giving seeing how they have seen people live without air conditioning and material possessions.
ReplyDeleteCasey
DeleteVery interesting! I am also very curious to find out how soldiers have changed their way of life after war. I wonder if they see life as more "precious" after seeing so much death on the battlefield
i have a family friend that was in the military in mortuary affairs and i know that he suffers from PTSD and i agree that it is a surprise that this condition, or the many suicides as a result from the condition was not among the topics that they talked about. My friend has told my family he has seen a lot of stuff that he would never want to repeat and that he wouldn't always necessarily send home bodies, but sometimes it would just be body parts. He has also said that it wasn't just the Americans that he was cleaning up after, but he would also deal with the enemies bodies.
ReplyDeletemy father was in the Marines, and two of the questions I had dealt with families.
ReplyDeleteDo those marines who leave a wife or other marital partner behind feel more conscious of their actions?
is it easier to have someone who you know is waiting for you back home, in case you start to worry, or is it better to not have anyone at home, so as not to fear for leaving them behind in case you die?
are you more open to starting a family when you get back?
consequently for those who have a family, are you more hesitant on expanding or not expanding your existing family?
Leticia,
DeleteThose are very interesting questions! I am also curious to find out if those with family back home are more conscious of there actions and behaviors in the military. I wonder if they are less/more likely to help there comrades in battle. I can see it from both sides. On the one hand, a solider might want to stay alive to get back to her or her partner, On the other, the solider might be more willing to help knowing that that solider has family back home
I definitely agree with what you're saying. I think someone who has family back home would be more inclined to have a higher will to live compared to those who do not have family back home. I say this simply because my cousin was a Navy Seal and he always said that family was what kept him going, especially when he'd have a few moments of down time to think about life. I can't say whether or not the soldier with family back home would be more inclined to help others or receive help though. When you're away at war, your fellow soldiers are your family so you'd do anything to help them, whether they have "loved ones" or not.
DeleteIt was fascinating to learn that they had no psychological training of how to deal with death. After they explained why they didn't it made sense because if a person dies on the battlefield you do not have time to mourn his death. If soldiers were to stop at every dying solider it might cost the lives of others.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, the fact that they had no training to deal with fear/anxiety was interesting. When i think of battle i can visualize some soldiers freaking out thinking that they might die. I figured that in training, they would teach them how to cope with their own fears of dying and/or help another solider when they panic. I was wondering this mainly because i figured a panicked solider could possibly diminish the safety of his comrades.
I found it strange that the Marines were not given any training on how do handle suicides in the military. The question I had for them was how do they adjust there life after they have seen combat? Do they go back to living a life they way the did before joining the army or do they change every aspect of it?
ReplyDeleteSome questions that I had were whether or not having a spouse or family to come back to helped with any PTSD or other psychological issues? Would you ever consider telling then what you went through if it was especially terrible? What are some ways you used to cope with any psychological issues you had? Was it easy to adapt back to life outside of the war zone?
ReplyDelete