You may have heard in the news about a couple of Navy SEALs who died as a result of using tainted heroin. Please don’t think less of our heroes for being human. SOFREP.com recently posted an article about a drug problem in the Special Forces community, especially with warriors who have served back-to-back combat tours and have separated from the Teams. Before you judge them, walk a mile in their shoes, the article pleads. Many a good man has turned to drugs due to the stress of divorce, child custody, and PTSD. The article pleads for something to be done to help our elite warriors learn to cope with normal, civilian life.
A quote from the article:
“And what happens to brave men once they separate from active duty? Once you cross the threshold from active duty to civilian life, and leave your Team Room behind, life is a lot different on the outside. Nobody cares how many combat deployments or kills you have, and this sure as hell doesn’t translate well in the world of corporate Human Resources (HR). A friend in advertising once told me that their un-written corporate practice was to place all military veteran resumes at the bottom of the pile. This has to change, and it starts with you.
The men from the Special Ops community leave behind a world, experiences, and a culture that no Department of Veterans Affairs representative or childhood best friend can come close to understanding. And the problem is getting worse, not better. It’s been taking a quiet toll on the Special Operations veteran community for a long time.
The culture of “suck it up” with no complaining sometimes makes a bad situation worse. This quiet is now turning into a loud roar, and making national headlines in the media. America shouldn’t ignore or judge these men that served their country in the most terrible of conditions. Instead, it’s time to help, and now is the time that it’s desperately needed the most.”
Read more at: http://sofrep.com/33256/substance-abuse-special-operations-navy-seals-maersk-alabama-maritime-security/#ixzz2u3Zo5RXW