Lost after war; veterans adjust to life after combat
“I was in the last and biggest and worst battle of World War II,” said David Weeks, a retired army veteran, “and that was Okinawa.”
Before the battle of Okinawa, the military had decoded the Japanese’s secret code and sent false information about the U.S. invasion force, Weeks said. The Japanese responded by sending troops to the southernmost part of the island to ambush the invaders while the U.S. military landed on the eastern and western shores of central Okinawa.
“We invaded the island, and it took us almost three months before it was over,” Weeks said. “We landed on one side and then the other, and we walked across the island and met in the middle of the island without firing one shot even.”
Before the battle, Weeks said he visited home for a week to be with his family. There, his uncle, a stake patriarch for The Church of Latter-day Saints at the time, gave him a blessing before he left.
“What he said in the blessing was, ‘You’re going into great danger, but the machines of war will pass you by.’ And that’s exactly what happened,” Weeks said.
Weeks described a time when the Japanese troops were throwing heavy mortar shells towards his company, which was stationed behind two large rocks. He had been looking through a small gap in the rocks at the other troops when a squad leader approached and asked if he could join him in watching enemy movement.
“So I said, ‘Sure, you can’, and so he came and got in the exact position I was, looking through this gap and this heavy mortar shell came over and burst about 20 feet over to the side of where we were and exploded and sent shrapnel flying,” Weeks said. “He was in the exact position I was in, looking through this gap and so when the shell burst, the shrapnel flew in the air. It peppered him from head to foot with shrapnel, the squad leader, but not one piece touched me, not one. So that was an answer to the blessing I got, wasn’t it?”
Weeks went on an LDS mission to Hawaii shortly after the the war was over and took a year to finish college at Utah State University when he returned. After that he worked on his family’s dairy farm and became a postmaster in his later years, he said.
Going home after the war wasn’t a difficult transition for him, Weeks said.
A difficult challenge for veterans returning home, however, is adjusting to civilian life after returning home from combat, said Charles Bentley, a licensed psychologist at USU’s counseling and psychological services, or CAPS.
“I had to learn how to be a civilian again,” said Justin Bishop, a sophomore in social work. “How to change my demeanor, how to go back to talking with civilians because I was so used to talking in that kind of environment that that’s all I did and when I came back — it was hard.”
Veterans communicate with each other differently in the military than civilians do, Bishop said. They tend to be louder, more crass and straightforward, which is received differently by civilians.
What also made it hard to adjust, Bishop said, was a misconception that everything would be the same when he returned, when instead, his family and society had grown independently of him while he was in the military.
Families often expect their veteran to be the same when they return home, too, he said.
“And that’s never the case,” Bishop said. “The veteran never comes back the same way that they left.”
Part of the reason for that change and those difficulties in adjusting comes from military training, Bentley said. Soldiers are trained for battle and in the field, their life depends on that training, so they overlearn it to the point where they can’t easily shut that training off once the danger is over.
Withdrawal, hyperarousal, anger and depression are common symptoms for veterans having a hard time adjusting, Bishop said. The symptoms differ depending on the veteran, and it’s up to the veteran to determine what’s wrong.
“If they’re really having a hard time and they’re really just negatively affected emotionally, that would be a reason to seek treatment,” Bentley said.
Another reason to seek treatment, he said, would be if they’re struggling to maintain important aspects of their life such as school or work.
“Those sorts of things are a real loud and clear indicator that they would probably benefit from seeking help,” Bentley said.
While encouraging veterans to seek help is important for family members and friends to do, being able to listen to a veteran’s experience and what they’re trying to communicate is more important, he said.
“If I were to give advice to any family,” Bishop said, “the first thing is just keep an open mind. Don’t pass judgement. If the veteran talks, just let them talk. A lot of times, we’re not looking for advice, but we need to let that out somehow.”
On-campus resources for veterans seeking help or someone to talk to include CAPS, the Veterans Resource office or Veterans Affairs, and the Health and Wellness center, Bentley said.
In addition, Bishop said, the VA is working on forming a new program called Veterans Integration To Academic Leadership, or VITAL, which will offer veterans a place to unwind, a community of support to talk to, and resources that will be closer at hand and easier to access.
“By opening this door and allowing them to communicate,” Bishop said, “that way they know that they have someone on their side. They know that they have someone supporting them and helping them.”
VITAL is currently recruiting veterans who want to help other veterans, Bishop said. Those interested can apply at the USU VA office.
“You’re not alone. I can’t stress that enough,” Bishop said, “There are resources and we’ll help you find them, we’ll do whatever we can.”
— miranda.lorenc@gmail.com or @miranda.lorenc