A website, www.hand2handcontact.org offers 10 things you should know about returning veterans. You can go to their website for the complete list but let me mention the top three.
First, returned veterans are exhausted when they get home—physically, psychologically, emotionally, and
spiritually exhausted. They often do not have the energy or focus to talk for long periods
of time. It will take some time for them to adjust, so follow their lead;
Second, there is nothing black-and-white about what has happened to them. Almost always,
there are good things that come from a deployment experience. Likewise, there are
some pretty difficult things that they face once they are back home. Do not make any
assumptions about their experiences;
And perhaps most importantly, they are not the same people they were before they deployed. But do not assume that
is a bad thing. The Service Member may come home more confident, with better
problem-solving skills. He may return with a deeper sense of gratitude for the comforts
that he used to take for granted or she may have found a greater sense of purpose and
direction than she ever had before. Yes, there may be many unseen wounds of the soul
and spirit. But there are tremendous resources to help heal those wounds, both for the
Service Member and the Service Member’s family, and an ever growing number of
people who truly care and want to help.
There is not some quick program that will make things all right, but congregations and clergy can work at providing a welcoming presence, with an open heart and an open mind but also providing space for the returned veterans to find their place. We live in an impatient society who doesn’t mind making an effort to help people in need as long as it can be done quickly and then we move on to our own agendas. Perhaps we need to explore again the meaning of sanctuary and explore how we might offer that for ourselves as well as others.
