Veterans and Volunteerism: New Report claims Possible Cure for "Inner" Demons of PTSD might be the "Outer" Cure of Helping Others

"Recognize our usefulness.  We are not charity cases. We are an American asset." - A veteran from Iraq and Afghanistan 

America’s “Sea of Goodwill” in the form of volunteerism still exists … but it’s missing its most valuable asset: veterans. So claims the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, in the foreword of a recent report: All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service.

It makes sense. After all, veterans are not only armed to the teeth with survival and other practical, battle-honed skills. They’re also used to laying down their lives for others. In fact, you could call them “The Ultimate Volunteer.”

That desire to serve, to give sacrificially for their country doesn’t go away when they’ve traded the battlefront for the home front. Far from it. In fact, studies show that most veterans, if given the opportunity, will happily don the uniform of civic service. After all, these boots are made for walking … not resting.

"The truth? You Can't Handle the Truth": Why Soldiers Won't Talk About What They've Seen

"The truth? You Can't Handle the Truth." - from A Few Good Men

"A Marine asking for help is pretty rare. Being willing to get help...that's almost admitting that you're failing, that you can't do it by yourself–that you need somebody else to help you." - Cpl. Dan Gay, U.S. Marine Corps

    Wounded warriors.  There are a lot of them–certainly more than the V.A. can handle.  Yet even if all the resources in the world were available to help soldiers suffering from PTSD, chances are good that many–if not most–of them would still go untreated.  The question is, why?

       Simply put, it's because most returning soldiers make very few deliberate attempts at seeking help–even from, or more accurately, especially from–those they love. If they reach out at all, it's through unconscious ways––like suicide victim Jeff Lucey did with this mother when he asked her to listen to the lyrics of a song that he believed expressed the acute pain he felt, but could never seem to share. Once again, the question I had was, why? (Read Jeff's story.)

6 Reasons Why a Soldier Doesn't Talk

I've listened to a lot of the experts, and this is what they tell us–indeed the soldiers themselves will tell you if you press them (I've talked to a few)–about why they won't talk to family, friends or mental health professionals: