(reprint from Figley Institute, written by Dr. Kathy Regan Figley)
March 13, 2012
When I heard the news that a soldier had killed 16 civilians in Afghanistan, my first reaction was deep sadness. I felt sad for those who suffered and died. I felt sad for those who loved those who were killed, and all those in Afghanistan who mourned and were angry. I felt sad for the military personnel who were in the war zone. I felt sad for our country. I felt sad for the soldier who committed this horrible act.
Just days before hearing the news, I facilitated a daylong conference at St. Thomas University entitled “Listening with Love: The Coming Home Experience for Veterans and Military Families”. This conference included two panels of personnel from various military branches who had served in the “war on terror”. They shared their experiences, and were open to questions. I felt grateful for their sharing, which educated the audience about the realities of war ….
My role at the conference was to educate about the stressors of war, their psychosocial/spiritual impact, and the means by which military personnel could receive assistance post-deployment. I focused on Combat Stress Injury and, and shared ways in which the marital relationship might be impaired and repaired.
When I heard the news I thought about wear and tear injury such as the sleep deprivation that goes with the war zone (an average of four hours a night), and the unrelenting 145 degree heat. I thought about grief injury, the loss of those whom they cared about who were killed in the war zone. I thought about the traumatic situations in which trained soldiers might feel terrorized, horrified, or helpless. I wondered what the conference participants and panelists were thinking when they heard the news of the rampage. I hoped that my presentation was helpful as they tried to sort out what might have the soldier’s killing spree.
My second reaction was “I wonder how many times the accused soldier had been deployed”. I suspected that the wounds of war were a big factor when the soldier opened fire on sleeping Afghans. I had been thinking that repeated deployments and possibly PTSD would explain. I felt angry when I thought that the lives lost were possibly due to the strains of war that could break the best of us, and the system-wide lack of resources for addressing psychosocial/spiritual wounds that can result.
This morning my sadness deepened when I heard on the news that the alleged killer had suffered a head injury. I immediately thought “could it be Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?” Tears flowed as I imagined multiple deployments complicated by TBI, and possibly a triggering event which pushed this man over the edge of reason. I decided I must do something. As an educator, my deepest desire is that readers understand the effects of war on our military, and do their part to learn so that those who serve receive the best we, as Americans, have to offer them in terms of compassion and support.
Recommended reading: Combat Stress Injury; Families Under Fire; Counseling Military Couples
Dedicated to Lt. Col. (Dr.) David E. Cabrera and all others who serve our country through military service; and to whose who love and care about them.
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