>>BRUCE HAMILTON: HELPING VETERANS AMIDST THE TURMOIL IN AFGHANISTAN OF THE
TALIBAN TAKEOVER. US SERVICE
MEMBERS VETS AND OTHERS WHO
SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN MAY HAVE
A DIFFICULT TIME DEALING WITH
WHAT’S HAPPENING. DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS WANT YOU TO
KNOW THAT YOU’RE NOT ALONE AND
THERE ARE RESOURCES AVAILABLE.
IF YOU NEED HELP.
JOINING ME ON THE MORNING SHOW
IS KATIE EICHER WITH THE VA
GOOD MORNING.
A LOT OF THOSE WHO SERVE MAY BE
WATCHING THE EVENTS UNFOLDING
IN INTERNALIZE IN WHAT’S GOING
ON WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS FOR
THOSE OF US WHO ARE CLOSE TO
THEM THAT. IT’S A PROBLEM THAT
WE NEED TO HELP THEM RECONCILE.
>> THIS IS A RAPIDLY CHANGING SITUATION AND THERE MAY BE OR FEELINGS THAT OUR VETERANS ARE
EXPERIENCING, BUT I THINK FOR
FAMILY MEMBERS FRIENDS AND
LOVED ONES OF OUR UNITED STATES
VETERANS IS THAT IF YOU WANT TO
LOOK FOR CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR,
YOU KNOW SOME OF THOSE MAY BE
INCREASING DRUG OR
ALCOHOL ABUSE. MAY BE FEELING
CONFUSED OR UH FRUSTRATED WITH
THE SITUATION MAY BE
WITHDRAWING FROM ACTIVITIES
ISOLATING FROM FAMILY
OR FRIENDS. I’M GIVING A WAY OF
GIVING AWAY POSSESSIONS THINGS
LIKE
ISOLATING AGAIN AGGRESSION OR
TO TAKE.
>> YOU KNOW HISTORICALLY WE WE
REALIZE THAT WE TRY AND TALK
WITH THEM, BUT A LOT OF
THE VETS REALLY DON’T WANT TO
TALK ABOUT THE SITUATION RIGHT
WHAT IF THEY DON’T WANT TO DO.
>> SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO VALIDATE THEIR EXPERIENCE AND WHAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH
AND MAKE ROOM FOR THEM TO BE
ABLE TO TALK IF THEY’RE NOT
ABLE TO TALK
INITIALLY WE WANT TO CREATE AN
ATMOSPHERE THAT THEY KNOW THAT
THEY CAN COME AND THEY CAN FEEL
COMFORTABLE AND TALK ABOUT THE
SITUATION WHETHER IT’S WITH A
FAMILY MEMBER BUT GIVE THEM
RESOURCES LIKE THE VETERANS
CRISIS LINE OR LOCAL CRISIS
LINES TO TO SPEAK WITH.
IN THE END IT MAY CHANGE FROM
TIME TO TIME
AS THAT. A VETERAN MAY BE
WANTING TO TALK AND THEN THEY
MAY NOT WANT TO END, BUT WE DO
HAVE OTHER OPTIONS AS
WELL LIKE TEXTING AND GOING ON
THE VETERANS CRISIS LINE DOT
NET AND SHOPPING WITH THE
RESPONDER WHO IS MAYBE NOT SO
CLOSE TO
THE VETERANS.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: THE CELLS I
DO WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT
SPECIFIC RESOURCES IN A MINUTE
BUT FIRST.
WE DO KNOW, AND I THINK THERE’S
LITTLE ARGUMENT HERE THE
SITUATION IS ONLY GOING TO GET
WORSE IN AFGHANISTAN
AND A LOT OF VETS ARE WORRIED
ABOUT THEIR AFGHAN ALLIES
PEOPLE THEY WORK WITH MAYBE
SOME OF THE INTERPRETERS AND
PEOPLE WERE LEFT BEHIND THEY
MAY FEEL HELPLESS WHAT TYPE OF
SUPPORT CAN WE OFFER KNOWING
THAT.
>> SO THERE’S A NUMBER
OF RESOURCES WITHIN THE
COMMUNITY. WE HAVE OUR VET
CENTERS, WE HAVE OUR MAKE THE
CONNECTION
SITE WHERE VETERANS CAN GO ON
ANY OF THOSE SITES AND HEAR
STORIES OTHER VETERANS.
SITUATIONS THEY CAN DOWNLOAD
OUR
PTSD APP THEY AND IT’S NORMAL
TO FEEL CONCERNED AND WORRIED
AND IT THEN BUT WE WANT PEOPLE
TO KNOW THAT WE’RE HERE AND WE
WANT TO
SPEAK WITH THEM WE WANT THEM TO
REACH OUT TO US WE WANT TO HAVE
HAVE.
RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE
TO THEM.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF
THOSE RESOURCES BECAUSE SOME OF
THESE A GO
YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS OVER THERE
AND NOW I WONDER I PUT MY LIFE
ON THE LINE WAS IT OFF OR NOT
WHERE THEY TURN.
>> THEY HAVE FIRST AND FOREMOST
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY
HAVE THE VETERANS CRISIS LINE.
WE HAVE OUR
PTSD APP WE HAVE THE ELIZABETH
DOLE FOUNDATION WE HAVE OUR VA
CAREGIVER SUPPORT. HOTLINE
OUR TAPS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WE’VE GOT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS FOR MILITARY VETERAN
CAREGIVER SUPPORT NETWORK TEAM
RED WHITE
AND BLUE. TEAM RUBICON THE
AMERICAN RED CROSS STUDENT
VETERANS OF AMERICA, WE HAVE A
NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT RESOURCES WITHIN THE
COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE ABLE
INFORM THESE VETERANS
THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE AND
THEY’RE NOT ALONE IN THEIR
CONFUSION AND THEIR FRUSTRATION
AND WE WANT THEM TO TO BE ABLE
TO REACH OUT AND FEEL
COMFORTABLE REACHING OUT
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND IT’S
NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL FOR
EVERY VETERAN. SO
WE HAVE NUMBER NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND BY
CALLING THE VETERANS CRISIS
LINE YOU’LL BE CONNECTED TO A
RESPONDERS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO
LINK THAT VETERAN WITH THOSE
PARTICULAR RESOURCES DEPENDING
ON WHAT THEIR
NEEDS ARE.
>> AND I THINK THAT PERHAPS IS
THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE YOU
ARE NOT ALONE. HEY THANKS TO
YOU ON THE RISE. SO IF
YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER OR
FRIEND IS A VETERAN A SERVICE
MEMBER IN THE RESERVE OR
NATIONAL GUARD. THERE IS HELP
EVERY DAY. ALL DAY CALL 1 802
7, 3, 8255 PRESS, ONE OR TEXT
8, 3, 8, 2, 5, 5, WE’RE CHAT
ONLINE AT THE VETERANS CRISIS
LINE DOT NET. ALL THIS
INFORMATION IS ON NEWSFOURJAX
DOT COM. INSIDE A STORY THAT
WE’RE GOING
TO POST ON OUR WEBSITE WITH
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU TO
GET INDIVIDUAL HELP FOR HELP
FROM OTHERS WHO REALLY KNOW