By NICHOLAS BENDER
Ramapo College student, Brendan Bucciarelli, is studying History. But his heart is in the U.S. military.
Bucciarelli is planning to join the United States Navy after graduation. After the service, he plans to use the Navy’s resources to help him attend graduate school where he plans to receive a masters degree and teaching degree in History.
“The goal is to become an officer. Maybe spend 2 or 3 deployments out, which could estimate to be 9 to 12 years in the service,” Bucciarelli said.
But his chances of landing a job after serving could be tough.
Economic Problems
As they return from overseas, many United States veterans expect to easily re-establish themselves into civilian life, get a job, and start a family. However, when they return home, they face tough struggles. Many veterans must deal with a tough economy and their own personal demons.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for male veterans decreased from 4.8 percent to 4.5 percent and the rate for female veterans decreased from 5.7 percent to 4.5 percent in March 2016. Even though the unemployment rate has decreased in recent years, it continues to be a problem that many Americans, including veterans, are facing.
Many people join the military for different reasons. They want to serve their country, acquire skills and training, and even pay for their education. However, despite their knowledge and experiences, it is still not enough.
There are several factors that contribute to this struggle. Many citizens, including veterans have a hard time finding jobs in the U.S. because the economy is still in a poor state, despite improvements that have been made to it. In recent years, it has retained its position without any significant change.
Putting the Past Behind
As many veterans return home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to leave their old lives behind, their pasts always come back to haunt them. Former veterans who experienced combat may suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. PTSD makes it difficult for veterans to adjust back into the life of a civilian. As veterans are diagnosed with PTSD, they experience flashbacks and nightmares of a traumatic event that they witnessed or were involved in.
Cases of PTSD have occurred for hundreds of years. In the 20th century, many veterans returning from Vietnam experienced severe cases. Instead of being given a Hero’s welcome, they were treated like criminals, which only made their condition worse.
They have struggled for decades and many have still not recovered because they have not gotten the proper treatment that they deserve. In cities across the country, Vietnam veterans can be seen living on the streets and begging for any help from their fellow citizens.
Jeff Jasper, a history teacher and girl’s basketball coach at Pascack Valley High School, suffers from PTSD. He was an infantry airborne lieutenant who served for two years from 1969 to 1970. “When I first came home, I wanted nothing to do with work,” Jasper said. “I basically wanted nothing to do with society.”
After living out in California for one year, Jasper’s father called him and said that there was a position open at Pascack Valley High School for an English Teacher. “I was very lucky because I really had no direction,” Jasper said. “If it weren’t for Jerry Thomas reaching out and saying that this is something that would be good for me, I’m not sure what would have happened to me.” Jerry Thomas is a good friend to Jasper and always looked out for him after he returned home.
A Different Experience Than What We See
Veterans who do fine jobs always struggle in dealing with mental and emotional stress. “My mental state was at best, I don’t think I was all that stable,” Jasper said. “I was really into just somewhere to find myself.” There have been times where he would react to different sounds, such as ambulance sirens.
A majority of Americans who watch documentaries or films about war do not know what it is like to be in one, advocates say.
“We see footage of it from a camera and it doesn’t do it justice from actually being there. It’s hard for them to find jobs because of their PTSD and the economy is bad but it’s also very hard for them to keep them if they can find them,” Bucciarelli said.
Even though veterans are having a difficult time finding jobs, the US organizations and communities are trying to take care of them. Veterans Outreach Center Inc. has played a significant role in aiding returning veterans.
Founded in 1973 by Vietnam veterans, its mission is to provide resources to U.S. veterans and their families, including Housing, Employment, and Education. This organization believes in many values, such as Compassion, Collaboration, and Veterans & Families First.
For their brave efforts and sacrifices, these men and women deserve a warm welcome home and a nice transition back into civilian life, advocates say.
“Time is necessary to be taken but not much. Veterans should start doing different things that they would do as a civilian,” Bucciarelli said. “A lot more should be done to help these people when they come home.”
Interviews with Brendan Bucciarelli and Jeff Jasper can be found in this video.
Overall, I think you capture the issue fully and go into good detail about the issues that veterans face. I do wish that the story of Bucciarelli was a little more fleshed out and in depth. Also i would have like to see a photo of Bucciarelli so i could at least see who you are talking about.