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SUPPORT ON THE MASSACHUSETTS HOME FRONT --
Pittsfield VA outpatient clinic attends
to emotional scars.
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http://www3.berkshireeagle.com/
headlines/ci_5569150
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Support on the home front
Veterans clinic attends to emotional scars
By Ryan Hutton, North Adams Transcript
A soldier returning from battle can bring back more than just the
knowledge that he served his country — he can bring back the memories of
combat and all the trauma that comes with it.
For times when emotional scars cut deeper than physical ones, the
Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Pittsfield has a way for local
returning veterans to get help and to help each other.
Since the beginning of the year, the VA has been offering a support
group for returning veterans who want to discuss their experiences or
any other topic. Meeting the second Thursday night of every month from
5:30 to 7, it addresses concerns like readjusting to normal life,
stress, depression, trouble with remembering, alcohol, drugs and
posttraumatic stress disorder.
"We're really fortunate to have such dedicated and great people down
there to help our veterans. We have so many new vets coming home, and
it's a godsend that we have a place for them to go," said Adams Veterans
Agent William T. Bradley. "They're the unsung heroes of our country
because they treat our heroes."
New members each month
The group started out small but has grown steadily since January, with a
few new people joining each month.
Run by social worker Jennifer Summers and psychologist Scott Cornelius,
it was started to serve the needs of a local National Guard unit that
had returned from Iraq.
"The vision for the group is that there will be a group of members who
will continue to go every month, and they can serve as the core for the
newly returned troops who may need to adjust to being back in the
states," said Mary Rodowicz, spokeswoman for the Northampton Veterans
Administration Medical Center.
She said that, eventually, the group wants to invite veterans from
different eras and wars as guest speakers to help the recovery process.
Emphasis on PTSD
Rodowicz said the group stresses the importance of getting help as soon
as a veteran feels he or she needs it and not waiting for the effects of
posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to be fully felt. Once referred
to as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue," PTSD is one of the major
concerns for returning veterans from any conflict, she said.
"If a fellow comes home, he might not look much different than when he
left, maybe a little older and maybe doesn't smile as much, but you
can't see the psychological damage done to him," Bradley said. "My
mother had a brother who was a medic in France in World War II. He was
only 19, and he was never the same when he came home. He took to
drinking, and back then they just labeled him a drunk. They didn't
realize this was from seeing the horrors of war."
Bradley, a Vietnam War veteran, said he has known veterans who have had
recurring nightmares and flashbacks of traumatic experiences from war,
such as seeing sharks eating sailors and tanks creeping over foxholes
with men still in them. More recently, soldiers returning from Iraq have
reported PTSD after seeing insurgents throw children in front of Army
convoys so soldiers would stop and get ambushed.
"You see the things on television, and that's bad enough, but it isn't
the same as if you're there," Bradley said. "To actually see it and be
the man pulling the trigger, that's something you might never get over."
Helping friends, family
Because these events are so hard to understand, Rodowicz said the group
also tries to help the families and friends of returning veterans.
"(The group) emphasizes the importance of bringing a support person with
them, because it helps having someone for comfort and support and it
helps them understand, too," she said.
The support group is only open to veterans enrolled in the VA. Rodowicz
said any veteran wishing to attend should contact the VA for help in
enrolling. She also said that any veteran who is not ready to get help
can still call to find out his or her options.
» If you go ...
* What: Support group for veterans
* When: The second Thursday of every month, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
* Where: Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, Pittsfield.
For more information about the meetings or Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, call the Pittsfield clinic at (413) 499-2672 or visit the
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder's Web site at
www.ncptsd.va.gov.
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Larry Scott --
