Counselor, colonel describe the life of returning soldiers
03.03.10
A representative of the Veteran’s Administration
and a Colonel with extensive military background briefed TVHS juniors on Tuesday about mental health issues
and family support for veterans returning from the ways in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
Elizabeth Donovan, Local Recovery Coordinator for the VA Medical
Center, discussed the needs of returning soldiers and current
support services and treatments offered by the Veterans
Administration.
“Her topic was especially relevant to TVHS 11th graders involved in
a project on ‘the costs of war’,” said teacher Mary Van Hoomissen.
Following her discussion, Army Reserves Colonel Dennis White, who has a PhD in infectious diseases, described his time in Kosovo, Iraq and South America and the transition back to civilian life.
TVHS juniors – some of whom are close to the age of the men and women
fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan – are answering a tough question as
part of The Soldier Project – What are the costs of war for soldiers
returning home?
The students have been hearing this month from veterans of a variety
of wars and studying known troubled areas for veterans, such as
unemployment, finances, medical and mental health and family
problems. They will then use the information to write collective
creative articles that demonstrate their understanding of a
veteran’s perspective and ways of coping with the demands of life
when they return from duty, said teacher Mary VanHoomissen.
The students, VanHoomissen said, have already seen the one-man
production about the troubles of a returning veteran, “The Things
They Carried,” and are currently reading the novel of the same title
by Tim O’Brien.
Almost all of the students taking part in the project know someone
directly who has served in the military and been deployed.
