Life After the Military

Life After the Military

Part 1, by Kevin Griffis

The United States of America has a defense budget of $692 billion for 2011 and numbers 1.5 million strong. The military prepares people for life. The Army encourages recruits to “be all you can be”, and to become “Army strong.” The Air Force challenges to “Do something amazing.”

Boot camp molds individuals into a cohesive unit. Battle tests a person's character and faith. To be in the armed forces is to be a member of a massive family. So what happens when a family member gets hurt and isn't a part of the family anymore?

For those who enlist in the armed forces boot camp is a mandatory experience. To fight efficiently you have to be able to trust that those around you are going to do exactly what they've been trained to do. But what kind of training does a service member receive when they are injured in combat and unable to fight anymore, or when their tour of duty is up and they're released to civilian life?

For someone who has fought for their country and been witness to death, what support system exists to help them make the transition back to what we call normal life? How does the government help those with post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, or those with crippling disabilities, adapt to the daily grind?

Learning the Job

People enlist in the military for different reasons. Some do it out of a sense of patriotism or social responsibility. Others consider the armed forces a safety net. For Desiree Phillips, who spent eight years in the Army Reserves, it was discipline – and tuition.

“When I was young I wanted to be in the military. The discipline is what drew me in. I learned my senior year that I didn't have a college fund that I had been told I had. So, that sealed the deal. I joined for the college money.” Phillips enlisted at 17 through the Delayed Entry Program, known as DEP. As a reservist delayed entry meant that after joining the military Phillips engaged in weekend drills once a month before leaving for basic training.

Serving as a 52-C Utilities Equipment Repairer, Phillips was trained to perform heating and refrigeration repair. “To this day I wish I had someone who would have spoken up for me and placed me in a more suitable job.”

For Ken Esteves, rank withheld, a New Jersey native, the military was his safety net.

“I screwed around too much in high school so there wasn't much else to do.” Esteves enlisted at the age of 18 and has spent three years working at a training squadron for AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), and three years at NORAD. For him there is little overlap with the civilian sector.

Matt Merkey joined the Air Force for three reasons. Family tradition, a love of technology, and a lack of options.

“My dad was Air Force, so I followed the same path. Plus they tend to have all the coolest hardware. I was 20 at the time. Two years out of high school, no job prospects, so I took the military option. Actually turned 21 while in basic.”

Enlisting in the military can be an intimidating experience, and boot camp serves both to train and to separate the wheat from the chaff. For Merkey, the day started at 04:45.

“A typical day was PT, breakfast, showers, morning routine, lunch, afternoon routine, dinner, dorm work, bed. Morning routine was typically stuff that needed to be done at other parts of the base, mostly to avoid the afternoon heat. Afternoon was usually classroom stuff and drill practice. After dinner dorm stuff for me was laundry, which was by far the easiest of the different duties we had. Put loads in, stand around while loads finish. It was great.”

Boot camp serves to mentally prepare recruits for the stresses that lie ahead of them. It may seem silly to obsess over making a bed a certain way, or how to iron a uniform, but obedience in these simple tasks lay the foundation for obedience under fire. If a recruit can't or won't stand at attention as he or she has been trained to, the odds of their following orders under the stress of combat are poor. If a service member does not follow orders, they place both themselves and those around them in danger. Thus, boot camp stresses obedience, uniformity, and cohesiveness.

Tackling Health Issues

As of 2010 operations in Iraq claimed the lives of 4,404 service members and injured over thirty thousand more, and yet the statistics that are causing considerable worry both inside and outside the armed forces come from suicide rates. In a report by NPR, it was found that the number of suicides committed by active duty forces rivaled combat losses in Afghanistan. The gender disparity is even more shocking. Females on active duty are three times as likely to take their own lives. On average, 25 service members commit suicide every month.

Of the armed forces, it is the smallest branch, the Marines, that incur the highest proportion of attempted suicides. In 2009 there were 164 attempts at suicide, and 52 deaths. The first quarter of 2010 for the Marines saw 89 attempts and 21 deaths. The Army, more than twice the size of the Marine Corps., saw 163 deaths from suicide in the same year.

For those who are no longer in the military, the numbers are just as grim. Cut off from the family they have identified with for years, some service members feel abandoned and cast aside and do not seek out the support they need. A large number of veterans, the exact figure unknown due to the silence many victims suffer under, are afflicted with post traumatic stress disorder and other severe issues that go undiagnosed and untreated. Of the large number of veterans in this country, 21.9 million as of 2009, only a small portion, roughly one third, seek out support.

Veterans with PTSD may succumb to alcoholism or substance abuse. Some are homeless, others commit suicide. Even those treated for PTSD may relapse. An Army veteran recently released from a PTSD program committed suicide at a firing range after target shooting.


Life After the Military
Part 2, by Kevin Griffis

To be in the armed forces is to be a member of a massive family. So what happens when a family member gets hurt and isn't a part of the family anymore?

Finding Support

The United States Army is well aware of the issue with PTSD and has been putting programs into place to help treat the injured. 1St Lt. Maria-Cristina Puswald, a nurse in the Army, can be considered part of the front line of mental health treatment.

“If I think they have something psychological going on, I put in for a behavioral health consult and let the psychologist or psychiatrist take care of it. If they are on psych meds I of course administer them and assess the patient for improvement. The Army has a great program for taking care of patients with PTSD and TBI (traumatic brain injury), and other mental issues as well.”

After serving a tour of duty, service members are subjected to a Post Deployment Health Assessment, followed three to six months later by a Post Deployment Health Reassessment. According to the Army's behavioral health website, the “PDHRA extends the continuum of care for deployment related heath concerns and provides education, screening, assessment and access to care.”

PDHA and PDHRA are just two examples of a multi-pronged approach. For example, the Real Warriors Campaign seeks to help service members overcome the negative connotations of seeking psychological or psychiatric help, in the hopes that those who recognize they need assistance will more readily acquire help instead of suffering in silence.

Army One Source is a one-stop location for assistance with all problems that a service member or a service member's family may encounter. They provide a large support network that includes mental health programs, how to recognize signs of PTSD or other health issues, and offer assistance in dealing with these illnesses.

The United States Department of Veteran Affairs provides information to service members, family of those serving, and the general public on PTSD, homelessness, sexual trauma, substance abuse, and depression encountered by those serving. They also list tips for recognizing suicidal behavior and have a suicide hotline that can be called at any time.

A recent program started by the military takes a unique approach at dealing with service members suffering from PTSD and other traumas. Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, located in Landstuhl, Germany and operated by the Army in conjunction with the Department of Defense, deviates from the twice a week therapy schedule. LRMC utilizes daily therapy sessions over an eight week period that focus on pain and grief management, dealing with substance abuse, art therapy, meditation, and even yoga to help service members regain normality.

Getting a Job

For many service members who have left the armed forces or those who washed out of boot camp, it isn't PTSD or mental health issues or substance abuse that concerns them. It's getting a job.
After receiving an honorable discharge, Phillips left the military with full certification for the heating and air conditioning industry that would have translated into a civilian sector career but, lacking the desire to work in the field, she pursued other options.

For Esteves, employment outside the military isn't in the cards.

“My career field has no civilian equivalent so everything I've learned and any skills I've developed are useless once I get out. But hey, they're paying for college.”
Merkey experienced a different problem. He suffered a knee injury during basic training that came back to haunt him during his Military Occupational Specialty training.

“Suffice to say it really hurt, and the Air Force wasn't willing to take it to surgery to fix it faster than physical therapy would. I was handed a medical separation after less than a year. It wasn't bad, but going anywhere or driving anything with a clutch hurt like hell.” Finding employment became difficult as he was required to list his discharge on job application forms for five years. A brief face to face meeting could easily explain the reason for the discharge, but interviews were rare.

After finding employment at the College of Central Florida, Merkey credited his work ethic to his time in the Air Force.

“I got a job and kept it because I put the work in that I hadn't in previous jobs outside the military. I wouldn't say it prepared me for anything, just gave me a different view.”

Lessons Learned

For Esteves, lessons learned from his time in the Air Force turned out to be a difficult question to answer.

“I've met and worked with people from all over the country as well as some foreigners. It's changed my opinion on the various other cultures within the United States, some for the better, some for the worse. For example before I left New Jersey I though Texas was just about the most insane place in America. Now I have full respect for Texans. Florida on the other hand...”

One thing Phillips has kept from her military experience was a strong belief that everyone should serve.

“I would not trade my experience in the military for anything. I believe very strongly that every American should serve one to two years in the military. I believe that people would have a better appreciation for our freedoms and sacrifices if they did, although many would disagree. Many would say that people in the military cannot think for themselves. What it taught me was that in order to accomplish a mission, soldiers needed to learn to set aside their personal beliefs in order carry out a common goal whether it is in war time or peace. This is an important lesson that anyone can carry with them.”


A look at the numbers - 2010
Military budget: $685.1 billion
Amount earmarked for VA: $70 billion
Active personnel: 1.44 million
Reserve personnel: 833,616
Veterans: 24+ million
Disabled veterans: 5.5+ million
U.S. population: 309 million
Suicide rates, Army and Marines: 20 per 100,000
Suicide rates, U.S. civilian population: 11.1 per 100,000

Hello, Nurse!

Hello, Nurse!
Describing someone is a difficult venture to undertake. Too simple – George Harrison played the guitar – and you condense the ocean of someone's life into a drop of water on the counter. Too complex – there was a man who was an ambulance driver in Italy and wrote standing up and his favorite cocktail was a Mojito – and you can't see Hemingway for the trees. The goal is to strike a balance, to show where a person has been, where they are, where they hope to be, and to leave the reader with the feeling that they could get on quite well with the person you've described.
First Lieutenant Maria-Cristina Puswald is a registered nurse in the Army. Why? In her own words,

“I honestly didn't have any other reason to study nursing other than because I would always have a good chance to find a job regardless of what occurs in the economy. I had originally wanted to study music education, but there aren't many available jobs in that career field, and I can always give piano lessons on the side if I want.” Puswald had started thinking about the military at a career fair during sophomore year. Free health care, unlimited sick days, and 30 days paid vacation sounded good to her. Although she did look into the Air Force, it was the size of the Army and the number of hospitals under their care that swayed her decision.
What kind of person is 1st Lt. Puswald? For Alexandra Loginov, a friend since childhood, a birthday describes her best.

“I remember that a couple years ago Cristina planned a surprise birthday party for her mom from Texas, and then flew in to New York for a few days to be there. This is very typical of Cristina, as she's very family-oriented and always thinking of others.” Puswald's dedication to her family is long-lived and obvious to those lucky enough to know her. A family friend, Elizabeth Toher, recollects Puswald's familial devotion.

“As a young girl Cristina's enthusiasm and giggly demeanor was very engaging. You couldn't help but to be delighted in her company. When her younger brother William was born she easily stepped into the role of a little mama. As she became older the love that she had for her siblings animated her actions towards them. She really was a big sister in every sense of the word, always looking out for them, always treating them to little surprises, always encouraging them”

Puswald is a woman of many interests. Her father is a motorcyclist, and Cristina started riding on his bike when she was very little. Said Toher,

“It was unusual to see such a tiny girl riding on a motorcycle without fear and with obvious enjoyment and enthusiasm. You don't normally think about girls on motorcycles but that's a good example of the marriage of both her tough side and what would surprise you about her. She's willing to try something new.”

She has owned a number of motorcycles and enjoys going for a ride to relax. Puswald is also musically inclined, and the piano is an important element in her continued friendship with Loginov.

“I met Cristina when we were two years old and on walks in strollers with our moms. This must have been around 1988. I believe I pointed to Cristina's stroller and said baby, but maybe she was the one who did that. Unfortunately, I don't remember the details! I think we've stayed friends all this time because we made an effort to do so, and because we spent so much time together in our childhood. We shared many experiences, including homeschooling, playing the piano which included taking lessons from the same teacher and playing duets together, playing softball, and reading.”

So what is 1st. Lt. Puswald doing now? She's currently involved in medical-surgical nursing, which is a catch-all for inpatient care of post-operative patients and medical, non-surgical, patients.

“Basically, we get a little bit of everything, from flu or pneumonia patients to knee or shoulder arthroscopies to emergent appendectomies. I absolutely love it because it's so random! I prefer it to ICU nursing or ER nursing or OR nursing because of the patient interaction I get. It keeps me on my toes, figuratively and literally.”

As an officer Puswald has a number of responsibilities. For her, leadership is enjoyable because she can take care of her soldiers, stand up for them, support them, and be there for them when they need her.

“It fills me with a sense of accomplishment and really boosts my ego when I feel I've been a positive role model or mentor for them. I guess I'm handling my responsibilities well, because I get great Officer Evaluation Reports.”
1st. Lt. Puswald is being deployed soon. For her friends and family this is cause for concern, and for reflection.

“I was surprised when I heard that Cristina was going into the army, as I didn't even know that she was considering it previously. I feel much better about her being any army nurse than a combat soldier, though, I must say. At the same time, I do still do worry about her.” For Toher, the sentiment is similar.

“Although it is scary knowing that she's being deployed to Afghanistan I wasn't surprised when I heard that because Cristina's nature is one of nurture, compassion, and empathy. I think that her faith which is strong and active in her life as well as her love and respect for family relationships and friendships, will help her to both represent the United States in a positive and inspirational way as well as the people that will come under her care will know what it's like to be taken care of by someone who truly will give everything she has to make sure that they're taken care of to the best of her ability and the ability of the people she works with.”

And what does Cristina have to say about it?

“I am both anxious and excited! I want to have this experience, even though I don't really know what to expect. I am eager to find out!”

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

For many of us, our first job is one related to fast food. The phrase “would you like fries with that?” perpetually on our lips as we deal with belligerent customers demanding not too much ice in their soda. But for a select few near Chattanooga, their job is more suited to the early 1900s. Located just a few hours north of Atlanta, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a place in the modern world, but not of it. Steam locomotives chuff and pant and vintage diesels grumble and hoot as they traverse three miles of track in Tennessee, a little lost world keeping the past alive.

Begun in 1959 and formally chartered in 1961, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum started small and continued to expand over the years. In 1969 museum volunteers repaired and reconstructed donated track. The 1980s brought the addition of a turntable and the Grand Junction Depot. Now home to a number of locomotives and coaches, a repair shop, the depot, and more, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a slice of 1930s America just waiting to be explored.

For Travis Gordon, 17, a resident of Tunnel Hill, GA, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is his place of employment. He's been interested in trains since the age of 2, crediting his grandfather's time with the N.C. & St. L. Railroad as a major force. Gordon originally wanted to be in engine service and work with the steam locomotive TVRM runs, but after passing his observation hours and brakeman training he was instead placed as a conductor. He plans to start on engineer training once he turns 18. As a conductor in training Gordon's duties include assisting the conductor with train operations, operating the turntable, punching tickets, giving tours, and detailing the history of the railroad and the area during the train ride. His time working with the TVRM has been full of sights and sounds that the majority of Americans no longer get to participate in.

“One that tends to stand out, was the time when I was a regular worker on the dining car to Chickamauga. Even though it is not amusing so to speak, I had a peaked [sic] interest in the old Santa Fe Railroad CF-7 Locomotives that they had home built from the old passenger engines that used to pull the Super Chief since seeing one operate in New Haven, Kentucky at their railroad museum. We were in Chickamauga, GA., and both of the runaround tracks were full of freight cars. Engine #2594, an EMD GP30, which pulled us down there, moved to an empty stub siding. Conductor Jeff Eblen let me up in the cab of Chatooga and Chickamauga Railway CF-7 #103 while the C&C Pilot, Tom Foden, used it and GP11 #1804 to move our 3 car train so that the TVRM engine could get on the other end for the return trip, and I have always remembered that day.”

The Museum's steam locomotives and rolling stock have been used in a number of movies and television shows over the years including “October Sky”, “Leatherheads”, and “Water for Elephants” as well as “FDR” and “The Last Days of Frank Jesse James.” The railroad also made an appearance on “Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy” on the History Channel. One of the most picturesque portions of the line, and the reason for its abandonment by Southern Railway, is Whiteside Tunnel, a horseshoe tunnel piercing Missionary Ridge, under construction from 1856 to 1858.

While beautiful to the eye and of significant historical interest, the one track tunnel created a significant bottleneck for commercial traffic on the line as the decades rolled by. A new line was constructed and the old tracks abandoned, eventually being donated to the TVRM in 1969.

Kyle Shannon, 18, from Daisy Hill, TN, has always been around the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Shannon spends his time working with the steam locomotive at TVRM. His favorite experience?
“Favorite experience was probably my first time in the steam locomotive going to Georgia, I was the coal cutter, but never actually fired, but to see how hot and much they fired was very neat. To hear the locomotive working up the grade was also amazing. There's not much that can beat hearing the locomotive work up the grade and see what it takes to keep it working at that pace.”

Locomotive #610, a 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotive originally built for the United States Army, is currently the only operational steam locomotive at TVRM while #630 undergoes restoration. The locomotive pulls the Missionary Ridge Local three times daily during the season, traveling from the Grand Depot Junction to the turntable three miles away at the repair shop and back again. A GP7 diesel electric locomotive built in 1951 for the United States Army shares the load, especially in colder weather.

For Alex Morrow, 18, originally from Athens, TN but now a resident in Chattanooga, the job is rewarding. He's in training to be fireman on the steam locomotive, and currently works in the repair shop.
“There's a lot of stories to choose from so it's hard to pick just one but one of my favorite things is when people come up to the locomotive for a cab tour and they say I have an awesome job and that I'm lucky to get to do this kind of stuff. It's a good feeling when people tell you that.”

The TVRM repair shop is currently finishing the restoration of steam locomotive #630, and has the capacity to repair and maintain all locomotives and rolling stock used by the railroad as well as provide services to other railroads. Although a museum railroad the TVRM does handle freight operations for Allied Metals, and performs switching operations for the new Volkswagen plant.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. Do yourself a favor and visit. Take a short ride on the Missionary Ridge Local, or a six hour trip on the Chickamauga Turn. And if you see Gordon, Shannon, or Morrow, try not to be too jealous. After all, somebody still has to flip the burgers.

Kevin Griffis article 1

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, located forty minutes north of Atlanta, is a place of historical significance – part of the Atlanta campaign, Sherman and Johnston clashed here. Over sixty thousand men met their deaths on these grounds. in 1864 if you stood at the peak of Kennesaw Mountain you could watch Atlanta burn to the ground. This violent and bloody past is remembered in monuments, trailside plaques bearing historical information about the battles fought, and even the name – Kennesaw is derived from the Cherokee word for graveyard.

Today this national park is a popular spot for locals to visit, home to a Civil War museum, expansive fields perfect for picnic lunches and kite flying, and over seventeen miles of scenic trails winding through the woods and seven hundred feet up the mountain. A twisting two lane road open during the week allows visitors to drive to a cleared viewing area near the top, although not everyone cares for the modern intrusion. Jenny H., a 22-year-old resident of Gainesville, is one of them.
“While I have been hiking numerous times, I was still a little tired when I reached the summit. I think it had a lot to do with my preconceived idea that the walk up this mountain would be a quick, little laid-back walk, and I had dressed accordingly. To be clear, I do not mean the paved parking lot when I say the top, which took a lot away from the hiking experience.”

The park is a natural choice for many locals to spend a lazy afternoon, and it should come as no surprise that its pine-covered bulk has been witness to a number of tender moments. Shaun W., currently residing in Florida but an Acworth resident at the time, brought his then-girlfriend to Kennesaw Mountain one morning and after a long climb to the peak, proposed to her. His second favorite view at the time? The city below.
Sometimes a hiker's fondest memory isn't of the climb up the mountain or the breathtaking views that await those who trek upwards despite tired legs. For Sarah, currently living in Kennesaw, something different stood out for her.
“I do remember a time with friends where we were at the top of a hill and ran down together towards this really awesome tree. It was by itself in this field and the day was sort of cloudy so the lighting made it look really picturesque. It's been ages since I've gone, but I love being in the fields and some of the places that have grown up in them. Places where cool vines have grown up.”

Kennesaw Mountain is an easily accessed location that offers an escape from the stop and go traffic that Atlanta is known for. The trails are kept clear of overgrowth, although there are a few loose stones and protruding roots lying in wait for unwary hikers. Informational plaques are placed along the trail, offering up the historical significance of certain areas of the park. Cannons dot the field by the Visitor Center, and three monuments honor the states that fought there.
Those who have hiked there are unanimous in recommending it to others.
“Absolutely. it's a great place for the view and has a lot of history surrounding it,” Sarah G.
“Sure,” Shaun W.
“Absolutely, especially to my KSU friends who have no excuse to not take a short drive to visit!” Jenny H.

Places to stay - Visitors from out of town have a wide selection of hotels to stay in. La Quinta, Days Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn, Wyngate by Wyndham, Hyatt Place, Best Western, and more.

Places to visit - For those visiting from out of town there are a number of Georgia tourist attractions within a short distance. Soda enthusiasts will want to visit The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta and learn the history of one of the world's best-selling beverages, take in decades of commercials, and enjoy the chance to taste a selection of sodas from around the globe. Try Bibo from South Africa, and dare your friends to taste the Italian soda Beverly. Within walking distance from The World of Coca-Cola is the Georgia Aquarium, currently the largest aquarium in the world with over eight million gallons of water. Beluga whales frolic in frigid water, while whale sharks and
sting rays glide overhead as you walk through an underwater viewing tunnel. The truly adventurous can swim with the sharks.

Stone Mountain Park offers a wide variety of activities that will entertain just about anyone. Take a cable car to the top or walk up and admire the view from the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. Watch the laser show. Visit the Antebellum plantation. Ride the riverboat or splash about on the pedal boats. Check out the car museum. Ride the scenic railroad.
For those limiting their sight-seeing to Kennesaw, the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History is well worth a visit. Now a member of the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, the Southern Museum features a number of displays on the history of the southern states, the Civil War, the Great Locomotive Chase, and the area's historical significance. Make sure to visit the locomotive workshop and admire the massive wooden patterns used to make locomotive wheels, and watch the short movie detailing the Great Locomotive Chase. Head to Marietta Square and visit The Strand to catch a show, or buy an ice cream cone and sit by the fountain.

Places to eat – The Kennesaw Whistle Stop Cafe is located just across the tracks from the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History and offers southern comfort food, including fried green tomatoes. The Big Chicken, a local landmark featuring prominently in many driving instructions, is roughly twenty minutes away for those with a hankering for Kentucky Fried Chicken. The Marietta Diner, clad in gleaming metal panels and located on Highway 41 is open around the clock and offers traditional diner food.

Places to shop – In need of hiking equipment? REI has a number of locations nearby. Town Center Mall in Kennesaw offers a wide selection of stores. With Atlanta half an hour away, anything that can be bought can be found.