I'm the wife of a Vietnam Combat Medic ~ and a long time Advocate for Veterans and their families. It's not possible for me to express my gratitude to those that have served, and all of their loved ones!
First, I want the needs of all our Veterans to be met! I'm a Veteran Service Officer, trained by the OR Dept of Veterans Affairs ~ never paid, so never restricted.
Second, I'm actually searching for support for families with PTSD ~ I have my own brand... heck, I hit the shrubs the first time I ever Heard a Helicopter... don't ask me why. Just another one of my symptoms of PTSD, which have been exacerbated over the past year for some reason. I correspond with a lot of Veterans and their spouses through my page on mySpace, which I only set up about 14 months ago.
I know our active duty, and recently deployed, demobilized troops and their families really need our support.
But I find myself in need of support also. My s/o served three tours in Vietnam as a Combat Medic 68-70. As our relationship progresses, we both realize how much each of our PTSD may impact our relationships, our ability to communicate, to react to current situations, as opposed to stressors, triggers, or (possibly even subconsciously) perceived threats ~ with others, and each other.
Don't mean to sound like a nay-sayer, but quite frankly, I've had self help stuff on PTSD, combat or sexual assault, coming out my ears since the late 80's and don't want to go that route again. Yet, I know that I have a very real need for my own support. I'm open to ideas, if there are other support groups, or forums available out there, please feel free to share. Hopefully, there is something that will serve our youngest troops and their families, and tie in those of us that have been living with PTSD for decades! No one can help a Veteran the way another Veteran can, and I'd never try to take their place! But perhaps there are ways we can support each other ~ and learn & grow.
My s/o admitted the impact of his own PTSD only in the past couple of years ~ and he's definitely not ammenable to any type of literature, or online support. Perhaps there's something else available? Peace & Respect ~ Woshi