specifically for warriors and emphasize combat
examples, anyone can use them. Stress and trauma are universal, and all
of the exercises in this book can be generalized. As a spouse, partner, or
family member, you've been immersed in the warrior spirit and made your
own sacrifices. Chapter 10 is written for you. The closing chapter uses the
final letter "V" as a springboard toward the goal of discovering meaning
and purpose in your journey.
In addition to the learning content or skills, each of the LANDNAV
chapters includes a brief addition by my friend and colleague, First Sergeant Michael Schindler, a two-tour Vietnam combat veteran who retired
from the Army in 1999, but who did not begin his transition process home
until 2002, more than thirty years after his direct-combat experiences. His
experience adds depth to the learning material, along with the stories,
examples, and quotes from OIF/OEF veterans who have the opportunity
to navigate the transition much earlier than he did.
These chapters provide insights into the inner workings of mental
health care in a way that makes it readily understandable, so you know
exactly what's going on and can participate fully in directing your own
transition process. Some of the material may look like "coping strategies"
you've seen elsewhere, but on closer examination, you'll find the information to be more useful because the underlying assumptions and limitations of these strategies are explained. The chapters also contain many
new concepts that I believe need to be more widely considered in addressing war-related reactions and transition. Because this book doesn't contain the standard mental health educational material found in most self-help
books, a sense of humor and an ability to be flexible in your thinking
might prove helpful.
All questionnaires and surveys used in these LANDNAV chapters are
based on instruments available in the public domain. The primary source
for these instruments was the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Land Combat Study. You're free to photocopy or scan any of the surveys or
questionnaires in this book for your own purposes (for example, if you'd
like to repeat exercises over time and leave the original questionnaires in
the book unmarked).
There is no substitute for the experiences of combat and the excitement of a war zone. Combat is an adrenaline fed, high-speed,
whirlwind, tiger-on-the-loose, exhausting daily dose of life and
death. To think that you won't react, feel, behave, and think differently than before your tour of combat duty is, of course, incorrect. Your experiences in combat will forever be part of you. Allow
those combat experiences and knowledge to become your strength.
FIRST SERGEANT MIKE SCHINDLER
On a fundamental level, life is about survival, and the place to start the
journey of transitioning home from combat is to understand how deployment to a combat zone shapes a warrior's survival skills.
The goal in this chapter is to develop a better understanding of how your
body reacts to extreme stress, how your reflexes take over to help you survive as a warrior, and what you can do to improve your sleep. Combat
requires that you hone your survival skills and reactions so they become
ingrained reflexes. These reflexes are innate to who you are as a warrior
as a result of your training and experience in the war zone, and can cause
you to act as if you were still in the war zone after coming home. Understanding why your body reacts the way it does provides the foundation for
all future exercises in this book.
HM3 J (Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class), a navy medic who had returned
home from deployment with a marine unit in Afghanistan, kept startling
or throwing himself to the ground whenever there was a loud noise. This
embarrassed him in front of his friends and family. He became increasingly frustrated at not being able to control himself. Startling would lead
to a rush of anger, which
examples, anyone can use them. Stress and trauma are universal, and all
of the exercises in this book can be generalized. As a spouse, partner, or
family member, you've been immersed in the warrior spirit and made your
own sacrifices. Chapter 10 is written for you. The closing chapter uses the
final letter "V" as a springboard toward the goal of discovering meaning
and purpose in your journey.
In addition to the learning content or skills, each of the LANDNAV
chapters includes a brief addition by my friend and colleague, First Sergeant Michael Schindler, a two-tour Vietnam combat veteran who retired
from the Army in 1999, but who did not begin his transition process home
until 2002, more than thirty years after his direct-combat experiences. His
experience adds depth to the learning material, along with the stories,
examples, and quotes from OIF/OEF veterans who have the opportunity
to navigate the transition much earlier than he did.
These chapters provide insights into the inner workings of mental
health care in a way that makes it readily understandable, so you know
exactly what's going on and can participate fully in directing your own
transition process. Some of the material may look like "coping strategies"
you've seen elsewhere, but on closer examination, you'll find the information to be more useful because the underlying assumptions and limitations of these strategies are explained. The chapters also contain many
new concepts that I believe need to be more widely considered in addressing war-related reactions and transition. Because this book doesn't contain the standard mental health educational material found in most self-help
books, a sense of humor and an ability to be flexible in your thinking
might prove helpful.
All questionnaires and surveys used in these LANDNAV chapters are
based on instruments available in the public domain. The primary source
for these instruments was the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Land Combat Study. You're free to photocopy or scan any of the surveys or
questionnaires in this book for your own purposes (for example, if you'd
like to repeat exercises over time and leave the original questionnaires in
the book unmarked).
There is no substitute for the experiences of combat and the excitement of a war zone. Combat is an adrenaline fed, high-speed,
whirlwind, tiger-on-the-loose, exhausting daily dose of life and
death. To think that you won't react, feel, behave, and think differently than before your tour of combat duty is, of course, incorrect. Your experiences in combat will forever be part of you. Allow
those combat experiences and knowledge to become your strength.
FIRST SERGEANT MIKE SCHINDLER
On a fundamental level, life is about survival, and the place to start the
journey of transitioning home from combat is to understand how deployment to a combat zone shapes a warrior's survival skills.
The goal in this chapter is to develop a better understanding of how your
body reacts to extreme stress, how your reflexes take over to help you survive as a warrior, and what you can do to improve your sleep. Combat
requires that you hone your survival skills and reactions so they become
ingrained reflexes. These reflexes are innate to who you are as a warrior
as a result of your training and experience in the war zone, and can cause
you to act as if you were still in the war zone after coming home. Understanding why your body reacts the way it does provides the foundation for
all future exercises in this book.
HM3 J (Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class), a navy medic who had returned
home from deployment with a marine unit in Afghanistan, kept startling
or throwing himself to the ground whenever there was a loud noise. This
embarrassed him in front of his friends and family. He became increasingly frustrated at not being able to control himself. Startling would lead
to a rush of anger, which
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