What you can do to help veteranssubmitted on 3 June 2016
War is never an easy subject to talk about. At least, it seems hard for us, despite being so far away from the turmoil and bloodshed that is often on the other side of the world. For us, it can just be a news story, a not-infrequent story of people dying in places we cannot imagine. People move on to the next story as it appears, and those who have fought so hard for these causes can end up being forgotten themselves.
This is one of the most unfortunate aspects of war when it finishes, those that have been trained solely in this capacity, often since a fairly young age, have returned home from duty with no idea of what to do next in life. Many people in this situation do not consider to make provisions for what happens after war has ended it’s all about the here and now, solving the difficult issues that lie in front of them. It can be hard to figure out a five-year plan at the time, when so much else is at stake, so it is understandable that it doesn’t often happen this way.
Thankfully, the plight of veterans who come back home from duty to find themselves in a different world to the one they departed is becoming better understood. Many organisations and fantastic people are taking it upon themselves to see what they can do to help these veterans return and integrate into society.
There are many reasons that veterans come back needing some help or other from the people around them. This could be physical, where limbs are lost, and surgery or other health services must be provided in order to help these people lead as normal a life as possible.
Thankfully, humanity’s development of medicine and therapy has got to the point where such aspects as prosthetics have reached the point where they can be put to good use. Those who have lost limbs or the workings of certain parts of the body can now receive new prosthetic limbs and the like to help them achieve as many of their daily tasks as they would no doubt love to enjoy as normal.
It is by no means all just about the physical side effects of war, however. Mentally, many who return from duty struggle with a condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where visions of previous events in war come back to haunt them. Many charities are making inroads with this, and such helpful additions as Help for Heroes videos are available online to try to help as many people as possible deal with the traumatic nature of what they have faced.
Of course, the most important thing that we can do is just be there for others. No one wants to have to face a difficult fight on their own, and by providing support and helping others reintegrate back into society, we can make a bigger difference than maybe we first thought.
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