10 November 2013

Veterans Day: Operation Stigma Continues...

One year ago on the Marine Corps Birthday, 10 November 2012, we raised our glasses to celebrate.  It had been a long day, and here is that post from this Operational Risk Management (ORM) blog, from the front lines of Hurricane Sandy:
On Sunday morning, observing Veterans Day in the United States began with a few words from a leader from the American Red Cross at a local shelter near North Brunswick, NJ  USA.  We heard his words of recognition and what it felt like for him to return to our country after serving in Vietnam and being ridiculed and spit upon.  The veterans in the room were all gearing up for another day on the front lines of a new domestic battle with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  Team Rubicon and it's growing presence of agile, selfless and highly skilled professionals have been working along side other national and international NGOs.  They are projecting a rapid and significant force on the ground, from New York to previously unrecognized communities such as Union Beach and Montoloking, NJ.
Serving along side veterans with Team Rubicon (TR) in the face of a major disaster zone is one honor.  The journey this past year has been a rewarding one, working with and to support veterans.  Five months after this first hand experience, one of our TR colleagues in NJ committed suicide.  Neil was not alone.  The numbers are staggering at this point.  Here is the post soon after, on May 11, 2013:
There is an alarm bell ringing within the ranks of Operational Risk Management executives in the United States.  As brave, experienced and motivated veterans enter the U.S. civilian work force, it is growing louder by the hour.  Our "One Percent" who serve in the military, leaders returning from over a decade of war and those who have earned the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOTEM), now have a new adversary.  Does your organization hire veterans or spouses of vets?  How are you taking an active role in the veterans hiring, career goals, aspirations and training?  What are the potential indicators of an employee at risk? 

Almost once an hour – every 65 minutes to be precise – a military veteran commits suicide, says a new investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  By far the most extensive study of veteran suicides ever conducted, the report, issued Friday, examined suicide data from 1999 to 2010.
Melanie Haiken, Contributor - Forbes
Since then, this blogger has been serving in another veteran focused non-profit.  One that fills the gaps between natural disasters.  And for good reason.  The wounded, injured and ill can't wait for the next tornado, hurricane, earthquake or tsunami to get out of the basement of their house.  The thousands with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are living their lives each day, until they end up like our colleague Neil.  There is not a cure.  Only treatment.  Only living with an outcome from serving your nation.  This is a global epidemic for all those who have served in and around the conflicts across the globe.

In order to really understand this, you have to get close to it.  For the past six months, serving those wounded, injured and ill has assisted in the education of what is missing and how to fill the gaps.  The biggest gap we face, is the one that took Neil from us.  The Stigma.
stig·ma 
noun, plural stig·ma·ta [stig-muh-tuh, stig-mah-tuh, -mat-uh] Show IPA , stig·mas.
1.a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.
2.Medicine/Medical .a.a mental or physical mark that is characteristic of a defector disease: the stigmata of leprosy.b.a place or point on the skin that bleeds during certain mental states, as in hysteria.
3.Zoology .a.a small mark, spot, or pore on an animal or organ.b.the eyespot of a protozoan.c.an entrance into the respiratory system of insects.
4.Botany . the part of a pistil that receives the pollen. See diag.under flower.
5.stigmata, marks resembling the wounds of the crucified body of Christ, said to be supernaturally impressed on the bodies of certain persons, especially nuns, tertiaries, and monastics.
Yes, the stigma surrounding PTSD and TBI is now our Operation.  Our target.  Ending it, is our mission. You see, this blogger has identified "Stigma" as a likely adversary.  How can we say this? One only has to read the heart felt prose of Sgt. Jeremy Conway from his blog, started a few months ago:

Who Dwells Within
November 8, 2013 PTSD &  TBI PTSD, TBI, Army, Veterans, Navy, Depression, Family,Civilians, Soldiers, Marines, Medical, Anxiety, Health, Memory loss, TBIAir Force, fellow Veterans, the Veteran Community, Conditions and Diseases, Charity, Donate 
Who Dwells Within 
Day to day
I wait to see
What awaits and what I’ll be
Who dwells within
To all who care
For those I love
No answers come from Heaven above
Who dwells within
Never understood
Read every book
About what overpressure and shockwaves took
Who dwells within
Each day I wake
Where darkness resides
I become whatever my mind decides
Who dwells within
Day to day
To all who care
Never understood
Each day I wake
Who dwells within 
--Jeremy Conway
We know people like Jeremy Conway are out there and may also want to raise the awareness of "Operation Stigma".  Sgt. Conway has the continued courage to face this vital mission and we look forward to reading his blog for years to come.  He is a true "Quiet Professional"....

This Veterans Day 2013 as we lay a wreath in Arlington Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknowns, we will be remembering Neil and praying that we all continue to "Bridge the Gap."

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