Vegas Voice May 2023 Edition

Vets Town Hall
By: Chuck Dean / Vet 2 Vet
Humans are amazingly resilient when part of a
community, and amazingly fragile when they
are not. For most of human history, trauma has
been experienced and processed in groups (family,
village, or tribe).
In fact, during the Middle Ages combat warriors
returned to village communities that wanted to help
loved ones make important readjustments in getting
back into the swing of things. One particular act of
welcoming the warriors back was to strip off their
clothes, burn them, and then pass their weapons
through fire to purify them.
It was a clear gesture announcing that it was over - and time to
settle in. Somewhere along the way society has lost much know-how in
caring for those who have been through the horrors of war.
A discount at the car wash, or free meal once a year on Veterans Day,
just isn’t enough. So, here’s some good news!
Sebastian Junger has founded Vets Town Halls, a nationwide
foundation that gives veterans the chance to tell their communities
what it felt like to go to war. The new non-profit organization provides
a healing platform for the difficulties in making war transitions.
For those unaware, Sebastian Junger is the bestselling author
of “War”, a book about the struggles of American soldiers in
Afghanistan’s infamous Korengal Valley, and their adjusting to life
back home. His documentary “Restrepo” won the Grand Jury Prize at
the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar the
following year.
These meetings help veterans, and the nation,
overcome misunderstandings, stigmas, and many
social disconnections that occur on the arduous
passage from war to peace. It may take courage to
stand up and speak, but it also takes courage to sit
down and listen.
Healing of traumatic war wounds (i.e., PTSD, et al),
begins with one important factor -understanding,
and a Vets Town Hall helps bring that understanding not only to veterans
but to the compassionate hearts of caring people in the community.
Perhaps there is an interest in sponsoring one in Las Vegas. For more
information: contact them the old-fashion way: Vets Town Halls, P.O.
Box 112, Richmond, VA or: vetstownhall.org,
Chuck Dean served as an Army paratrooper in Vietnam and
through that experience was led to address the many transitional
issues veterans struggle with. He is the author of several important
books for veterans. All can be found on Amazon at: http://www.
amazon.com/author/chuckdeanbooks
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May 2023