Getting married? Having a baby? Just started a new job or looking for one? A relationship that”™s just begun or going sour? Behind on the mortgage payments? There are so many stress factors tangling up the nervous system of Americans today, there is not enough ink or time to tell the tales.
Those who have signed up to serve in the National Guard or Reserves are more than likely facing one of those challenges. But now, a new one has been added: being deployed in numbers not seen until now into a combat zone from what had been their civilian jobs. The image of the Guard manning a sandbag berm during a local flood has been replaced by one of dust and improvised explosive devices.
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, more than 1.8 million military men and women have been sent to the Middle East. For those who signed up for the National Guard or the Reserves, that call or letter letting them know they are about to be deployed to the front  has become commonplace.
These part-time military fighters are learning a deadly new game, and they don”™t have much time to learn it. Since the National Guard and Reserves now make up nearly half of those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, programs have been created to help them ”“ as well as their families ”“ adjust to the idea of being deployed into combat  and to readjusting  once they return home.
Jeanne Dion, whose husband is a 25-year veteran of the Air National Guard and whose son has followed in dad”™s footsteps, knows all too well what it”™s like for those deployed and their families. Her husband recently returned from Iraq and her son is coming home from parts unknown in a few weeks. She works as an Airmen and Family Readiness program manager for the Department of Defense”™s Yellow Ribbon program, created  exclusively for members of the National Guard and Reserves.
“I meet with the families before their loved one is deployed,” said Dion, who also stays in touch with them throughout the deployment. When the family member returns, “The family is reunited and I”™ll meet with them to answer questions and let them know what programs are there to help. They often don”™t know the resources available through the Veterans Administration or other organizations. This Department of Defense program  was specifically created to help them transition back into ”˜normal”™ life ”“ not as easy task for anyone who has been in a war zone, especially if they haven”™t been training to go into one.”
Dion says World War II veterans returned to a country where they were promptly told to get on with life and put the past behind them. “It was the men and women who fought in Vietnam who spoke up and said something needed to be done to help soldiers readjust,” said Dion. “Because of them and their efforts to educate the public about their own trials and tribulations, we are aware of what is happening to the men and women returning home ”“ and are trying to give them the resources they need to make a good adjustment.”
The majority of National Guardsmen and Reservists have civilian jobs with little or no connection to the jobs they perform at the front. “That”™s why programs like Yellow Ribbon can be a lifeline for those deployed to the battle zone,” she said A common link among  non-military combatants share is the desire to remain anonymous when it comes to getting help. “They would rather be treated privately, because they are worried their employer or co-workers will find out,” said Dion. “So many would rather try to act as if nothing is bothering them and that can make it even more difficult for them to readjust.”
Dion is glad the Defense Department  has recognized the trauma the National Guard and Reservists face when deployed to a war zone by creating programs tailored specifically for the group. Dion is one of many team managers around the U.S. whose task it is to help the civilian combatant and their family. “Again, we have to thank those Vietnam vets, who were treated so shabbily during that time,” said Dion. “They who got up and spoke out for veterans and have helped get them the services they need. We are truly indebted to them.”
Help is available for those serving in the National Guard or Reserve through the Department of Defense Yellow Ribbon program: e-mail YRRP@oscd.mil or call (866) 504-7092.
