Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

328 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
values and beliefs were American, yet they also reflected the desire of
immigrant populations to alter their traditions to be in conformance with
and in support of the American ideal. From an historical time line, they
are the younger brothers of WWI veterans, the older brothers of the Korean
War generation, the fathers of Vietnam veterans, and possibly grandfathers
of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
These men, for the most part, returned to marriage and families and
took up the lives they had laid down during their service. Yet returning
home to live the traditional values of work, family, and community that they
had fought and saw friends die for brought with it numerous challenges.
The world they once knew was now changed. Many of these men returned
home to find that women filled their previous jobs. Some returned home
to discover that work was not always readily available. When it was available,
the camaraderie of the trenches was nowhere to be found in the
competitive world of business and industry.
Today, this cohort is very community oriented. They demonstrate the
characteristics of resilience and endurance. However, this generation,
who thought they were participating in the war to end all wars, has never
experienced a world at peace. They found themselves confronted by survival
and in many ways became isolated. There is an excellent illustration
of these internal conflicts, from intrusive memory through existential
angst and beyond to marital conflict, in the film The Man in the Grey Flannel
Suit (Zanuck & Johnson, 1956).
Our experience at the Brooklyn VA has demonstrated that the fathers
and grandfathers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are very active in
supporting troops abroad and the wounded at home. They are strong voices
for peace along with Korean and Vietnam War veterans. A good percentage
of this cohort may be primary caretakers for their spouses or provide
care for younger grandchildren. Most have some medical illness; many
are active and involved in various activities within the VA and veterans organizations
to the extent they are able, which brings them into contact
with the larger community.
Some Characteristics of the Generation
of the Korean Conflict
The generation of the Korean conflict listened to the radio as President
Roosevelt announced the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declaration of
war on Japan. They saw their older brothers or their friends’ fathers deployed
to either Europe or the Pacific. They saved tinfoil and metal and lis-