This week the National Guard briefed a state commission that is looking into the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Guard outlined the steps it has taken to help troops and their families handle the pressures of war.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein has more.
Last fall, Specialist Paul Chevrette returned from Iraq.
Almost immediately he found himself in the New Hampshire National Guard’s re-entry Reverse Soldier Readiness Program.
TAPE: it’s trying to get you back into life.
Over three days, soldiers sort out paperwork, meet with a therapist, talk to social service providers and hear from soldiers who tell their own stories about readjusting home.
10:30 when you get in the mindset of doing everything the same exact way, everyday. And you come home and you want to know what you are doing, where you are going and what you are going to do be doing.
9:53 it’s very hard transitioning back. I still don’t think I’m there.
In an emotional half an hour, Chevrette told the commission what he’s going through.
The National Guard and New Hampshire Health and Human Services have contracted Easter Seals to provide service members and their families the help they need to transition home.
He says he’s a lot better now thanks to Easter Seals.
9:05 they helped us in ways that we never knew we could be helped. We have taken counseling, and I’ve met myself with counselor, psychiatrists about PTSD issues, couples counseling for me and my wife. And counseling for my daughter.
Earlier this year the Guard received a one million dollar grant from the Department of Defense to try a new way to families like the Chevrette’s.
Colonel Deborah Carter says the three-day post-deployment training isn’t enough.
7:53 how can you build a system that people, you’ll get to the individual soldier level, and they won’t fall through the cracks.
Starting this February, families began to meet with social workers as soon as they learned about their upcoming deployments.
Easter Seals Project Director Daisy Wojewoda says that’s the best time to hook up.
17:25 we could address all of the barriers, the stigma, the red tape, the lack of access.
National statistics show Guard and Reserve soldiers are at a higher risk of suicide, substance abuse, child abuse, unemployment, divorce and homelessness than full-time troops.
State statistics show that New Hampshire part-time troops are more likely to seek help, if it’s easy to get.
Given all that, Wojewoda says getting to soldiers as early as possible is a blinding flash of the obvious.
Wojewoda asked the commission to consider the impact early intervention would have had on Specialist Chevrette and his family.
TAPE: rather than going through that three day intensive alone without sig. preparation, going home, ignoring it, until things really started falling apart, he would have had a trusted friend, a clinical contact on speed dial.. the support that is missing is there.
The Department of Defense considers this pilot a potential national model.
But whether this program ultimately takes off may come down to money.
Right now, during the pilot phase, Easter Seals estimates that it can spend a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month to support families.
No matter how much it costs Specialist Paul Chevrette says it’s worth it to him and his country.
He told the commission he’s scheduled for redeployment next summer.
TAPE: I was given the option to stay home...I chose to go with my unit...and I think this time with the help that we’ve got and the help we are going to continue to receive, mentally my family will be able to get through it a lot easier.
After he finished, the commission gave Specialist Chevrette a round of applause.
To Colonel Deborah Carter, the warm reception is just another indication of how attitudes towards mental health have changed from the days when Viet Nam and World War II veterans returned home.
She says, for some of them, it’s taken 30 or 40 years to get the help they need.
For NHPR News, I’m DG.
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