Minnesotans Coming Home PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dave Thul   
Tuesday, 28 August 2007 20:39
Most Minnesotans are probably aware that the bulk of the 2600 National Guardsmen from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, have returned home over the last month or so. While I'm sure everyone means well, the most common question I get after 15 1/2 months in Iraq and another 6 months before that in Mississippi for training is--what's it like to be home? Well, let's see.

Do you mean what is it like to be back home from a combat zone, where people try to kill you every day? Or do you mean what's it like to pick out the civilian clothes you want to wear every morning, rather than choose from clean uniform or dirty one?

Do you mean what is it like to walk into a fine establishment and order a tasty adult beverage? Or do you mean what is it like to try to reintroduce yourself to a wife and two young kids?

As difficult as the answer to that question may be, the state of Minnesota is going to unprecedented lengths to help with the answer.

In what is being both hailed as evolutionary and closely watched by other states around the country, Minnesota has designed a complete reintegration program for it's returning soldiers. Most Guardsmen are given a day or two of briefings about how to get back into their lives, the importance of making a date with your wife or girlfriend before expecting conjugal visits, and a lengthy session on the perils of drunk driving. All these breifings are good, of course, but when you are literally counting the minutes until you see your family again, most everything you hear goes in one ear and out the other.

Enter the Minnesota 'Beyond the Yellow Ribbon' program. The state is assembling a range of experts on reintegration, from the Veteran's Administration, to mental health professionals, to Depatment of Revenue experts, to help in getting your civilian job back, to help in getting a new job, to spiritual help and beyond. They are bringing all these folks together at the Saint Paul RiverCenter at the 30 day point that most soldiers have been home. This is the critical point where, if you are having problems adjusting, you will know and be looking for help, even if only subconciously. And most importantly, attendance by the families is mandatory. So even if I don't recognize the problems I am having, my wife will, and can ask for help.

And then, 30 days later, we will repeat the whole process. It may seem redundant, but PTSD can manifest itself long after the event, so this is another chance to get help. Or, it can be a chance to have absorbed the lessons learned at the first breifing, and take action.

And then, 30 days later, we will repeat the process again. In the Army we know that the key to long term learning is repetition. Practice loading your rifle without looking. Practice entering a room with targets waiting inside. Practice applying first aid. In this case, we repeat the process to catch as many problem soldiers as we can. There used to be a stigma in the military about having PTSD. Now we call it a delayed casualty.

There has been hundreds of books written on the plight of Vietnam War soldiers and their lack of care for mental health issues on their return. There have been hundreds of editorials written on the need to treat or Vets better. But until now, no state has taken responsibility for the care of their returning Vets like Minnesota has.

Minnesota Nice, indeed.