Air Forces Strategic Initiative \"Support Survivors.\" Examples

¶ … Air Forces Strategic initiative "Support survivors." Examples war survivors, accidents, suicide, .

The United States government considers of extreme importance the necessity to assist its officers and soldiers in time of need, crisis, injury, or physical or mental distress. This is part of a wider initiative in which soldiers are taken care of by the government and country they serve.

This initiative comes as a result of decades of suffering by the American troops in all types of warfare and atrocities- zones that affected both the moral and the emotional experience of the troops when returning home from the battlefields. One of the most well-known cases in history in which the emotional fragmentation of the soldiers by the conditions of the war waged is the Vietnam War. There are numerous accounts that testify the immense impact the war conditions had on the soldiers that fought in Vietnam and related war zone areas in the region. The guerrilla warfare as well as the violence of the parties involved in the conflict impacted the way in which warfare tactics were implemented and therefore the type of confrontation was also related to the psychological level. Such considerations determined a very difficult outcome for the forces involved, whether they were ground forces, air forces, or marines. This is why it is extremely important to consider the effects such confrontations have on the mental of all people involved.

Another important example to point out the necessity for an initiative that caters for the needs of the soldiers was the Gulf War in the early 90s in which soldiers were exposed to different types of warfare that stretched the limits of the soldiers and brought them sometimes even on the verge of psychological breakdown. These are just some of the reasons for which there is an increased need to assist the families of the Army members as well as the members of the Army, the Air Force and all the segments of the Forces.

The Initiative Support for Survivors is in this case essential. It provides the necessary expertise for the families of the soldiers as well as for the soldiers themselves to cope with the stress and impact of the life within the Army or other Forces. Some of these examples include the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Its main mission is to offer support for the military that has been affected by this disorder and ensure treatment and recovery. There are numerous examples that point out the benefits of such initiatives. For instance, one woman in the military faced a severe car crash in which other people died and she was badly injured. Despite the fact that she physically recovered, the experience was that shocking that it impacted her life and her emotional state. At this point however, "Teresa was diagnosed with PTSD. She's doing better thanks to treatment at her local VA. Although Teresa's problems have not gone away, she now has a great support team to help her." (National Center for PTSD, n.d.) These aspects are important in the recovery of a soldier, air fighter or any other individual of the Armed Forces.