Troops prepare to readjust to civilian life

INDIANAPOLIS – For Indiana troops back home from Iraq, there are no more roadside bombs or insurgent gunfire. But the taut readiness that comes from being on guard against attacks remains and can be an obstacle in adapting to civilian life.

It’s a reaction that many of the 3,300 men and women of the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have as they cycle back into civilian life. They face about four days of debriefing at Camp Atterbury before heading home.

Marsha Rocky, a psychologist who heads a team of mental health professionals helping the 76th Infantry readjust to civilian life, calls the reaction “hyper arousal” and said it comes from living continuously on guard.

“In combat experience, they’re trained to be hyper-alert to what’s happening in crowds of people because there’s always the chance of an insurgent there with an explosive device,” Rocky said.

Even if they’re in a restaurant or at the mall, she said, “their automatic response is triggered; their heart rate rises. The brain is not so good about noting what’s different about this situation from Tikrit or Mosul and still sees this as potential peril.”

As part of their debriefing, the soldiers talk to mental health counselors. Though Rocky said it’s often too early to spot trouble, the team has spotted some soldiers – she won’t say how many – who seem to be in some distress.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates between 12 percent and 20 percent of the 1.6 million U.S. troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, which can be marked by irritability, anxiety and flashbacks.

The Guard plans three weekend-long seminars to help soldiers resume their lives. Among the topics covered are anger management, suicide prevention, compulsive behavior prevention and safe driving. Attendance is mandatory for the soldiers, and families are urged to attend two of the events.

A RAND Corp. report this year found that nearly half of service members with post-traumatic stress disorder or depression don’t seek help.

“Unfortunately there’s still some of that – ‘If you ask for help, it means you’re weak,’” said Capt. Lisa Kopczynski, a spokeswoman for the 76th. “But more and more people are getting the help they need and deserve.”