| Opinion |
What is Iraq like?” “Did you ever shoot anyone?” During my five years in the U.S. Army, those were and still are some of the questions that always seem to come up when people learn about my service.
While people seem to be interested in the glory of war, they never stop to think what goes through a soldier’s head when he is deploying to a combat zone.
When preparing for deployment, it’s more mentally than physically demanding. After completing two deployments, the first being single and the second being married with a child on the way, I have experienced both sets of extremes.
While being single and deploying I was thinking more about missing out on sporting events and the occasional beer pong. But when you have a family and you’re deploying, you start to ask yourself questions suh as, “Will my wife be able to handle everything on her own?” or “What’s going to happen if I don’t make it home?”
As deployments get close, the military helps to ensure that a soldier updates and prepares any paperwork that might be needed during his absence. It includes wills, beneficiaries for life insurance and powers of attorney for any problems that may arise during the deployment.
Many soldiers have trouble before deployments on how to cope with being away from family and loved ones for so long – along with the knowledge they might not make it home.
Some spend as much time with their loved ones as they can, while others think the best way to cope with their feelings is to start drinking.
As deployments near, you find that some soldiers start to drink more and more heavily, believing that it is the best way to help them not to think of what is to come.
No one ever said being in the armed forces was easy. So many people think going to war is like playing a video game. But this isn’t a game, and while every soldier deals with that stress differently, for some the way they deal with stress before deployment changes them forever.
Sometimes it’s for better, and sadly sometimes it’s for worse. I know from experience that the concerns of leaders in the military before they leave the country are not only for their families but also greatly for the soldiers they are in charge of.
The leaders have to be sure they are mentally ready to deal with any situation that might arise and adapt to it.
Deployments are unforgiving and can have lifelong effects. I think people who never have been through a deployment don’t realize that preparing for it is just as stressful as the deployment itself. It affects all of us who have served, and it contiues to affect thousands more every day.
Dustin Newman is a Ranger reporter. He can be reached at dmnewman@actx.edu
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