The Officer - Fall 2016 - 40
into civvies, see a civilian therapist and pay with a personal
check to escape being identified within the military system as
a person getting mental health care.
The current system fails to adequately detect mental health
issues because of this stigma and the incentive for service
members to lie about their condition out of fear it will be held
against them. Service members could instead be the beneficiaries
of the military's advanced health care resources, dealing with
their issues.
The proposed change to the PULHES ratings would show
that PTSD is a condition that service members and others can
often function with and be great members of their teams. In
fact, being with their teams and battle buddies has been shown
to often help.
Assessing for triggers
This form of preventive care should focus on events or environments known to trigger behavioral health conditions within
service members. The archetypal environment known to trigger
mental health care problems is participation in combat.
People who work in environments with toxic chemicals or
who are exposed to dangerous biological agents are screened and
assessed to see if they have picked up any dangerous material.
In the same manner, combat zones should be seen as potentially
psychologically toxic environments. (We also know that the
stress of combat can build inner strength and resourcefulness,
although combat-type stress experienced over lengthy durations
or repeatedly is rarely generative.) Service members participating in these environments should be assessed upon departure
to identify any signs of problems.
There should be follow-up mental examinations. Like
conditions caused by toxic chemical or biological agents, the
symptoms of mental health problems are not always immediately
apparent. Currently, the law does not require the secretary of
defense to give a mental health assessment to service members who have deployed when they are discharged or leave
the military.
Without these follow-up examinations, a worsening mental
health issue will not be caught by a medical professional and
could exacerbate until the service member becomes suicidal.
There needs to be awareness on the health care provider's part
to assess the condition of service members who have experienced likely stressors to identify any signs of mental illnesses.
For this to occur, DoD, VA and private medical providers must
have greater coordination to eliminate gaps in mental health
care coverage.
40
THE OFFICER / FALL 2016
Recognizing stress on and off
the battlefield
Regarding mental health as a readiness issue can provide
innovative approaches to help service members contend with
the stress. Great complexity often faces combatants as they
increasingly engage in counterinsurgency conflict; this involves
distinguishing between the enemy and "innocent" civilians.
Frequently, U.S. combatants must make morally charged decisions in unclear situations, made more difficult by the enemy's
use of civilians or protected sites, such as mosques, as shields.
These difficult situations, exacerbated if a decision proves wrong,
can plague troops long after they leave their war. Often, their
war never leaves them.
The military trains service members for these situations in
scenarios. While such training has vastly improved since the
beginning of the present war, it cannot possibly resolve all the
difficulties troops will face when making tough decisions under
enormous stress. It has, however, proven effective, as reflected
in the lowered instances of casualties inflicted by U.S. forces
among innocents.
The assumption that only combat breeds PTSD is unfortunate, and addressing solely those whose service is associated
with combat is insufficient to deal with mental health issues
and the resultant military suicides. According to the DoD 2013
suicide event report, more than half the service members who
attempted suicide had never been on a combat tour. The problems identified as triggering suicide attempts included the end
of a romantic relationship, or financial or legal troubles. Such
common emotional stressors can aggravate mental health issues
just as sharply as combat for military personnel.
In addition, it has been found that service members who
served outside combat could experience problems similar to
those faced by personnel who served in combat. For example,
service members stationed at the Pentagon may make daily
decisions affecting the lives of comrades participating in overseas contingency operations. These decisions have an impact
on the course of war and sometimes result in the deaths of GIs.
Consequently, many in such stateside or "rear area" staffs who
make these critical decisions carry regret or guilt.
Under existing law, there is no requirement for them to get
the same level of mental health assessment as service members
who served in contingency operations. There should be.
Training can be designed to resolve both combat-related and
personal stress. Besides combat simulation, training can focus
on increasing service members' coping skills to build resilience.
Coping skills help people develop perspectives that make them
feel better about how they handled a certain situation. According
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Officer - Fall 2016
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
OPENING SHOTS
FEEDBACK
CAPITOL HILL CONNECTION
HEARING THE VOICE OF THE RESERVE COMPONENT
WHAT IT MEANS TO ‘FIGHT’ FOR RESERVISTS
HEALTH CARE REFORM
SERVICE MEMBERS LAW CENTER
THE MILLENNIAL RESERVIST
CARING FOR THE CAREGIVERS
ATTEN-SHUN!
SERVICE MEMBERS’ MENTAL HEALTH IS CRITICAL TO READINESS
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD RESERVE
NATIONAL SECURITY REPORT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS (M & RA)
ARMY RESERVE
MARINE FORCES RESERVE
NAVY RESERVE
COAST GUARD RESERVE
AIR FORCE RESERVE
RESERVE LIFE
2016 ROA NATIONAL CONVENTION
PROUD TO SERVE
DEPARTMENT AND CHAPTER NEWS
BOOK REVIEWS
STARS FOUNDATION PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN SUPPORTING RESERVISTS
HELPING DEPLOYED RESERVISTS’ CHILDREN SUCCEED AT SCHOOL
STARS INDUSTRY NEWS
USAA’S CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY GOES ABOVE FOR THOSE WHO GO BEYOND
UNITED CONCORDIA’S ACTIVE DUTY DENTAL PROGRAM HELPS PREPARE RESERVE AND GUARD FOR EARLY ACTIVATION
BOEING’S C-40A CLIPPER JET BRINGS POWER AND SAVINGS TO THE NAVY
STARS BRIEFS
SALVO
The Officer - Fall 2016 - Cover1
The Officer - Fall 2016 - Cover2
The Officer - Fall 2016 - ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 2
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 3
The Officer - Fall 2016 - PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
The Officer - Fall 2016 - OPENING SHOTS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 6
The Officer - Fall 2016 - FEEDBACK
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 8
The Officer - Fall 2016 - HEARING THE VOICE OF THE RESERVE COMPONENT
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 10
The Officer - Fall 2016 - WHAT IT MEANS TO ‘FIGHT’ FOR RESERVISTS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - HEALTH CARE REFORM
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 13
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 14
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 15
The Officer - Fall 2016 - SERVICE MEMBERS LAW CENTER
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 17
The Officer - Fall 2016 - THE MILLENNIAL RESERVIST
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 19
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 20
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 21
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 22
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 23
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 24
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 25
The Officer - Fall 2016 - CARING FOR THE CAREGIVERS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 27
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 28
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 29
The Officer - Fall 2016 - ATTEN-SHUN!
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 31
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 32
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 33
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 34
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 35
The Officer - Fall 2016 - SERVICE MEMBERS’ MENTAL HEALTH IS CRITICAL TO READINESS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 37
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 38
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 39
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 40
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 41
The Officer - Fall 2016 - NATIONAL SECURITY REPORT
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 43
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 44
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 45
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 46
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 47
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 48
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 49
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 50
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 51
The Officer - Fall 2016 - OFFICE OF THE CHIEF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU
The Officer - Fall 2016 - ARMY RESERVE
The Officer - Fall 2016 - MARINE FORCES RESERVE
The Officer - Fall 2016 - NAVY RESERVE
The Officer - Fall 2016 - COAST GUARD RESERVE
The Officer - Fall 2016 - AIR FORCE RESERVE
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 2016 ROA NATIONAL CONVENTION
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 59
The Officer - Fall 2016 - PROUD TO SERVE
The Officer - Fall 2016 - DEPARTMENT AND CHAPTER NEWS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 62
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 63
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 64
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 65
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 66
The Officer - Fall 2016 - BOOK REVIEWS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 68
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 69
The Officer - Fall 2016 - STARS FOUNDATION PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN SUPPORTING RESERVISTS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - HELPING DEPLOYED RESERVISTS’ CHILDREN SUCCEED AT SCHOOL
The Officer - Fall 2016 - USAA’S CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY GOES ABOVE FOR THOSE WHO GO BEYOND
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 73
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 74
The Officer - Fall 2016 - UNITED CONCORDIA’S ACTIVE DUTY DENTAL PROGRAM HELPS PREPARE RESERVE AND GUARD FOR EARLY ACTIVATION
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 76
The Officer - Fall 2016 - STARS BRIEFS
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 78
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 79
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 80
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 81
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 82
The Officer - Fall 2016 - 83
The Officer - Fall 2016 - SALVO
The Officer - Fall 2016 - Cover3
The Officer - Fall 2016 - Cover4
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