Combat stress and reintegration-pt 1

October 14, 6:17 PMMilitary Health ExaminerKaren Estrada

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For our family, redeployment is right around the corner. At home anxiously anticipating our soldier’s return, his wife, their three year old son (my adorable grandson), us (his parents), and his siblings. This is his fourth tour (deployment), the first, to Afghanistan and the remaining three have been to Iraq. Technically, he has deployed five times when counting their deployment to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Deployments are like people, no two are alike, the same can be said about redeployments.

When describing redeployment and reintegration back to ‘home life’ to someone who has never deployed or have a service member in their family, I sometimes use the analogy of how it feels when you’ve returned home after a vacation or a professional conference in another place other than your home town.  In no way am I implying that deployments to a war zone are anything even remotely close to these however, I use those analogies to begin the conversation about how difficult integration can be.

Consider how you feel when you have returned home after being away even for short periods. Many people express they feel a sense of disorientation, fatigue, being ‘out of step’ (routine), overwhelmed, and anxious to get back into their ‘normal’ routine. You have heard the expression “I need a vacation after my vacation”.  Multiple these feelings a billion times and perhaps you can get a minute glimpse into what our service men and women experience when coming home.

Factors that impact our troops while in theater are geographic location, living conditions, their mission, and other conditions they have encountered while there (for example, encounters with enemies/insurgents and fatalities/casualties). Their ability to communicate home whether by phone or the internet is also an important consideration.

During my son’s first deployment to Afghanistan (2003), technically the communications set up was much more ‘primitive’ then it is now. Logistically speaking, many times they were away from the main base where communication was possible on missions way up in the mountainous regions of the country.  The deployment, originally slated for six months was extended to eight. If I recall correctly, R&R was not yet established. Even when it was, it applies only to troops with deployments of 12 or more months.

When my son came back there were events that had occurred during that period of time, which he was  unaware of (even though we sent letters, magazine clippings, etc). Improvements in communication notwithstanding, a lot can occur during the year or more they are away. In some cases, a baby is born, a family member has passed away, and a teen has attended her first prom, and so on. The world as we knew it during that time was far different from the world they lived in during that  same period of time. 

Reintegration Tips:

Although there is no guaranteed way for service members to protect themselves or their fellow unit members from the cumulative experiences of deployment, there are ways for warriors to build resilience and show support for their fellow service members while deployed or as they reintegrate, including:

• Reaching out to someone: If you or someone you know is coping with the challenges of combat stress, talk to him or her about what’s going on.

Creating a network of support helps build resilience and strength within the entire unit.

• Supporting physical well being: Maintaining or returning to a daily routine of healthy eating and exercise helps to control those aspects of life that you can, so that stress doesn’t pile up.

• Maintaining psychological health: Remember that combat stress is common among all ranks, services and genders.

- When you can, talk to someone —a buddy, a commander, the unit chaplain, or a health care professional — about what you are going through.

- If you have a buddy or loved one who may be coping with combat stress, let him or her know that you are there to lend support.

For more information about the signs and symptoms of combat stress, check out  RealWarriors.net. 

Definitions: 

Deployment: the period of time a service member is sent to another location (even within the U.S.). It can also include (e.g. Navy) a ship or submarine. The time period depends on the mission and varies between military branches.

Redeployment: when a service member returns from their tour of duty or deployment.

R&R (Rest and Relaxation): a two week break during deployment.

Resiliency: the ability to recover quickly from setbacks or adversity.

Next article: Resiliency Training Initiatives 

See Also: Combat stress & reintegration - personal perspective pt 2