Terry Swejkoski

Most society views Memorial Day as a time to honor those who have served or died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans are brought to the forefront of our consciousness for only two days a year: Memorial Day and Veterans Day. We reflect upon the heroism of those who sacrificed their life so that the mass consciousness may experience freedom. However, this celebration does little to address the reality of what the day means to the actual Veteran who is still alive and dealing with the trauma of war. The horror of war stays with a Veteran for a lifetime, not just two days.

Every Veteran appreciates the intent of society to celebrate the freedom enjoyed because of Veterans. By society honoring the service to our country, we Veterans feel a sense of pride for having been part of the intended peacekeeping mission. Society has come a long way in its interpretation of what it means to be a Veteran, to sacrifice for the common good in ways that most will never realize. However, our society does more to fund war than to focus on peaceful conflict resolution. This mental illness has become normalized and is backward thinking – to say the least!

A common bond between Veterans goes far beyond the actual military service or unit served. Being part of the Armed Forces is not to be taken lightly. Military service is a responsibility that stays with you for a lifetime. While serving in a war zone, most Veterans focus on the day they will return home to their loved ones and have a peaceful life. They know that they have put themselves in harm’s way for the common good, but there is a part deep inside that knows taking a life for any reason is wrong. That constant mental anguish is the part of sacrifice society still doesn’t understand. The unfortunate part of the Veteran’s experience is that most mental health care providers don’t know how to treat the trauma of war. Why? Because they haven’t been there, they haven’t experienced what it feels like to take a life.

The reality for Veterans is different because of their experience of war involvement. There’s no sugarcoating the mental resultant factors of war. Even when the war experience is over, the underlying deeply embedded negative consequences remain. The Armed Forces do little to prepare Veterans for re-entry into society.

Even though the Veterans Administration has made an effort to address the post-war trauma effects of war, they still miss the mark in the big picture. Our government spends more time on the interval immediately following a war’s end, rebuilding the war-torn country’s physical structures. Billions of dollars are sent both during and after the destruction of material structures. However, the government only provides limited funding to rebuild the post-war Mental Body of those who served without concern for their lives.

Suppose you are a Veteran who has gone through typical mental treatment programs provided by the Veterans Administration but has not been able to eliminate the mental anguish of your experience because of the limited scope of treatment available. In that case, the Conscious Clarity Center may be able to help you. The root of the problem is not what most psychology experts understand because they are locked in a typical third dimension of reality. Rest assured, there is another way to deal with the PTSD of the mental dysfunction of the war machine.

Please email us at Veteran@ConsciousClarityCenter.org or call 231-943-2623 for further information.