This quote perfectly encapsulates why I’m so interested in making veterans a central population I work with through Compass Yoga. On Memorial Day, we spend a lot of well deserved time paying tribute to the service of our troops at home and abroad. Most of this tribute goes toward their courage on the battle fields that are all-too-common in today’s world. I always wonder (and worry) about what that time in battle does to them in the quiet moments when they are alone, what it does to their families, and how they will integrate back into society when their tours of duty end. I worry most about the people like Sgt. Brian Keith, and I want to help them. After all they’ve done for us, I feel that this is the very least I can do for them.
Here are the facts that lead me to feel so much compassion and duty to serve veterans through Compass Yoga:
1.)20% of soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have PTSD while a total of 40% of those from tours of duty in Iraq alone have some type of mental health issue
2.) 20% of all suicides in the U.S. every year are veterans.
3.) Recent statistics show that 3% of men enlisted in the military get divorced each year; 7.8% of women in the military get a divorce every year. And the trend is climbing.
It’s important for us to recognize the heroic acts that all soldiers perform while in uniform. This Memorial Day, I’m also thinking about what happens to them when they return to civilian clothes, to their friends and family back home, and to their health and wellness after they’ve served with such courage. They need us to be there for them to support their transition back to life off the battle field. They have served us too well for too long to not receive as much care as we can possibly provide at they face their own battles back home.
The New York Times article referenced above has narrative and interactive features that detail the year-long deployment of the 87th Battallion in Afghanistan. It’s a tremendous look inside what it means for them troops to be on the battle field and then try to transition back to a home life that feels as foreign to them as the dangerous places where they serve.
Christa Avampato 