By Sara Israelsen
BYU ROTC offers support to soldiers returning from combat to help them ease back into the civilian lifestyle.
The goal of the ROTC battalion is to help soldiers and give them support whenever it”s needed, said Jared Jensen, the BYU ROTC cadet public relations officer.
“We have a couple of guys that are out,” Jensen said. “They may come back, and they may have problems. You never know, but we”re going to be here for them. And that”s probably the most import support group that we as an ROTC battalion here on campus can provide to these soldiers coming back.”
With reports of increased suicide rates overseas, there is a greater focus on helping soldiers before, during and after deployment to a foreign country.
“Everyone”s going to have a different time adapting,” Jensen said. “[Combat] is something completely new. You put [soldiers] in a place where people are trying to kill them. People aren”t necessarily going to react too well to that.”
Chris Pratt, a senior, is a member of the 19th Division Special Forces and served in Afghanistan for six months in 2002. While serving oversees, Pratt said in order to handle the situation, he had to accept it.
“You get calloused,” Pratt said. “You”re living it. You can”t go anywhere else. You just kind of deal with it [and] drag on with what you have to do.”
Pratt returned home in October of 2002, and he said he”s attempting to pick up where he left off.
“[It”s hard] trying to get back into the life you had before,” Pratt said. “You”re not the same person you were before, and you want that back. But you”re different, everyone else is different, the situation is different. There”s remorse, nostalgia. You feel like you left something behind.”
Talking to friends in the unit is the best way to help accept and deal with the past, Jensen said.
“That support group is always there,” he said. “The military tries to make a unit feel like a family, make the soldiers feel like they can count on each other in a hairy situation, which combat is, and that they can count on each other for support afterwards.”
Pratt said the hardest thing for him coming back was having experienced something none of his friends or family had experienced.
“No one who didn”t go with you can relate to what you”ve done,” Pratt said. “Even if you haven”t shot anyone, or done anything really traumatic, no one really relates. That”s why people who go to war together stay close for so long, because they”re the only ones who share your experience.”
There has been more attention paid to counsel needed by soldiers since the beginning of the war in Iraq, said Major Gregory Weisler, recruiting operations officer for BYU ROTC. Weisler spent six months in Kuwait in 2003, and he said the army gave him numerous pamphlets about readjusting to life in the private sector.
“The army hasn”t always done a good job with [providing counsel],” Weisler said. “They”re doing a much better job now than they have in the past in helping soldiers get counseling.”
Jensen said counseling isn”t limited just to the military.
“Are there cases where [soldiers] need help?” Jensen said. “Yes, there are. But it”s the same with anything else. People lose their jobs, people have to move. These are realities of life. Some people just can”t deal with life”s challenges the same way that other people do, and sometimes they need a little bit more help than others. Soldiers are just like normal people.”
