Fighting New Battles - Arkansas National Guard

The Arkansas Minutemancover storyNew battles, continued from page 26injuries.But with an estimated 15 to 30 percent of Vietnam veteransdiagnosed with PTSD, and 10-15 percent of vets from the firstGulf War developing the condition, it remains an issue of concernwith our nation’s newest veterans. With this in mind, Rosswants to ensure his Soldiers get the help they need, offeringassistance without a stigma attached to it.“Commanders, [first sergeants], and [first line leaders] willuse the assessment in order to identify Soldiers suffering fromPTSD. Leaders at all levels will use the utmost confidentialityin dealing with these Soldiers,” Ross wrote in a commandpolicy letter addressed to his subordinate commanders. “Neitheradverse actions nor any mistreatment will be toleratedwhen dealing with these Soldiers.”The 39th’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry, in Searcy, conducted its PDHRAduring the unit’s drill weekend in January. Prior to the assessment,the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Cary Shillcut, embracedRoss’ policy while encouraging his Soldiers to completethe survey with absolute honesty.“No one is going to look at you differently under this command,”Shillcut said. “It’s not going to affect your career. Behonest. We can get you the assistance you need.”Despite such strong assurances, the concern remains thatour troops are not stepping forward to announce their need forhelp. With this in mind, Arkansas gave birth to another initiativeto ensure the well being of its men and women in uniform.The Community-based Services Outreach Workshop wasdeveloped by the Arkansas National Guard’s Family ReadinessProgram in an effort to provide service members with anopportunity to seek help in a confidential forum. The program,which is strictly voluntary, educates its participants on the useof “resiliency skills.”These self-help skills are designed to provide the participantswith an avenue to deal with a variety of their ownindividual issues, as well as the ability to help identify others inneed of assistance. Most importantly, the workshops take placewithin the community, away from the military, and without apaper trail.Page 28 Summer Fall 2005 2006