Farm Boy Turned Military Psychologist: A Summary of War Deployment Experiences, Struggles, and Coping

Abstract

A military psychologist summarizes some of the events, struggles, personal life, and work he encountered over the course of three deployments. In a combat zone, the role of a military psychologist can expand to include: carrying stretchers filled with bloodied and blasted soldiers, helping medics overwhelmed by the variety and extent of combat injuries, talking with a young soldier who hours before had witnessed the death of his buddy from an rocket-propelled grenade blast, meeting coworkers to ease the aftermath of a suicide attempt, and even helping mop up blood pools after surgery. Mental health providers must each find their own individual means of taking care of themselves to avoid burnout. The author outlines some considerations and one way to accomplish this.

Note: While I am attempting to convey the stories of the men and women I had the honor of working with and learning from, out of respect for privacy I have changed identifying details.