Episode 1: “How do I process this?”

Within the episode, a lot of what is discussed in three major areas:

1. The boredom faced amongst active military individuals while in combat.
2. The difficulties these individuals face after returning home, and how the return is shaped in the short run once the transistion as been finished.
3. The difficulties that appear in the long-term regarding lasting mental health issues and needed support for veterans.

Here are some additional resources one might could use when discussing these sorts of topics:

• The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development regarding Mental Health

• David Kieran’s book, Signature Wounds: The Untold Story of the Military’s Mental Health Crisis (available free through UNO’s Criss Library)

• Michael Schereiber’s article, “Stigma, American military personnel and mental health care: challenges from Iraq and Afghanistan” (available free through UNO’s Criss Library)
• Mark Russell and Charles Figley’s book, Psychiatric Casualties : How and Why the Military Ignores the Full Cost of War (available free through UNO’s Criss Library)

A question to keep in mind when discussing the podcast episode (and these potential texts) is:

How do we see veterans and military individuals discussed within the contemporary cultural conversation?

How has the conversation surrounding mental health changed since the beginning of the 20-Year War?