Veterans feel isolated when they return to the U.S.

Andrea Unzaga-Burgos/ Contributing Writer 

The dramatic effects of war on the brain are no secret. A modern day pattern found within traumatized veterans is that they almost all miss the wars they fought in. 

It’s not the gruesome combat they miss. They surely don’t miss getting shot at or witnessing the murder of their comrades. 

War reporter Sebastian Junger solves the riddle in his book, “TRIBE: On Homecoming and Belonging,” written about his 2008 experiences in Afghanistan. “What these distraught veterans miss is brotherhood,” Junger writes.  

Junger claims that what veterans seem to miss is the complete opposite of killing. What they long for is the raw connection they had with the soldiers they fought alongside.

Having sacrificed years of their youth to undergo experiences of extreme trauma where connections, government benefits and purpose seem to be the only upsides, they come home to re-enter an apathetic isolated society; not knowing who they can count on, who they can love or what anyone they know would do for them if push came to shove. 

The combat experience, from what I’ve heard, is very similar to an altered state of mind. The adrenaline pumping through your system is a product of your brain’s survival instincts. Tunnel vision sets in, time moves slowly and acute details intensify.

Something similar happens during the reckless situations an average young man and his group of friends find themselves in when driving donuts with the car doors open, lighting things on fire, doing parkour, etc.

The difference between an average young man and a soldier is that an average young man has access to all the things he loves: cars, women, family, social media, cooked food, etc. 

Soldiers must find love in the family they spend every minute of every day with because it’s all they have.

The bond between soldiers in a troop is not only strong because of similarity – military jargon, lifestyle, and shared trauma. 

In foreign land where your only job is to defeat the enemies who want to defeat you, the men you fight alongside become part of you. 

Loyalty is unquestionable; not just for the lives of your fellow troops, but for the sake of the country you’re fighting for. 

In the past, American wars and terrorist attacks have brought fear, but also pride and unity to our country. 

Today, we have no 9/11 to collectively recover from. This is something to be grateful for, but as time goes on, the spirit of community wanes and national pride in veterans becomes a rarity. 

The alienation felt upon return is what makes it more difficult to recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and what Junger claims is the hardest part of war. The panic attacks are described to be worse than actual war experiences. 

Like a lost puppy searching for its mother, there are many World War II cases of wounded soldiers escaping rear base hospitals, crawling through windows and slipping out of doors to rejoin their brothers at the front lines, said Junger in a 2014 Ted Talk on the matter. 

Very seldom does an average person experience the raw connection soldiers have for each other. Average men seek this type of real love and loyalty through sports teams and fraternities. 

Though it’s not impossible to find a friend for life within these groups, all relationships in society fall short from military brotherhood. 

Brotherhood is a bond of blood. Anyone can be a friend one day and a foe the next. 

Having experienced intense culture shock upon his return to the states, student veteran Christopher Alvarez not only struggled with reverting back to his place in society, but realized no one would understand the trauma he underwent, and the indestructible code of loyalty he functioned under. 

Alvarez felt that his country felt no pride in him. 

“I felt like I came back from fighting a war no one cared about or showed effort in empathizing with me. I felt alone,” said Alvarez.

A large population of the young men who enlist are fresh out of high school and thrust into the “real world” with no money to maintain themselves, searching for a sense of direction. 

Because there is no draft, the cost of college tuition is more expensive now than it has ever been, and there is no rulebook to life. 

A lot of the young men at war signed their life away on that dotted line because it was simply the best option they had. What many do not like to consider is before they return men of honor, they enlist as a pack of lost boys.

Civilians cannot empathize with soldiers because their lifestyles are immensely different. Our freedom comes at the expense of theirs. Life in uniform means unit cohesion above individuality. 

You’re issued essentials rather than given the freedom to purchase your own. The social structure is organized by troop and rank rather than fragmented and free-flowing, and everyone functions under the same set of morals and values whereas American civilians are encouraged to think freely. 

In a way, military life is much more similar to prison or communism under dictatorship.

When they return full of testosterone, facing mental illness and untreated anger issues among other obstacles, their tolerance to alcohol is much lower than their frat buddies, who have an advantage of four greek life years of alcohol abuse on them. 

Something innocent like grabbing a drink to ease feelings of instability, which come as no surprise considering how tormented these young men are, leave them overwhelmingly hammered. Their drunken stupor washes away the thoughts that haunt them, resulting in habitual use and replacing their priorities with doing whatever it takes to numb their suffering.

They are much more likely to lose control of their emotions under the influence, instigate bar fights and violence, resulting in their towns resenting them rather than empathizing with their pain.

Alvarez believes that the towns veterans return to indirectly experience the consequences of untreated mental illnesses, therefore clouding their judgement against these war heroes.

Therefore, veterans find it difficult to feel at home anywhere but the front lines.

Though not every veteran ends up an alcoholic, both Junger and Alvarez seem to agree that it’s very difficult for veterans not to resort to self-deprecating methods in pursuit of healing. 

“You come home shellshocked to a civilian life of people who have no concept of what you went through and they don’t really care,” said Alvarez.

Like Junger, I believe the problem lies within our isolated modern society, and the antidote is love and unity. 

Veterans suffering from PTSD feel safer and more loved while being shot at and plotted against than in modern civilian American life. 

Americans are evolving away from primitive tribal life and trading it for selfishness and ego. 

Naturally, they still desire the love and trust that comes with it. 

Do you know the veterans in your community? Are they in need? I suggest you find out what you can do to help.

Our nation’s bravest return to the states as our nation’s weakest and most deserving of praise and love. What about our society makes us so hesitant to give that, especially to those we owe our freedom to?

An old quote reads “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

Photo by Brandon Day on Unsplash

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