The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are different from past wars. The reliance on reserve troops often leaves returning veterans and their families without the shared experience and support available on military bases. A new, problem-solving alliance in Vermont that helps cut through that isolation has been formed. It’s called the Military, Family and Community Network of Vermont.
Laurie B. Slone is a psychologist with the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in White River Junction and a network founder. She talks with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about challenges returning veterans and their families face reclaiming the lives they lived before deployment. Daneen Roy of Jericho is also Jane’s guest. Her husband, Colonel Will Roy, is commander of the Vermont brigade scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in early 2010. She talks about what it’s like having a spouse deployed overseas, the support available and the acts of kindness from neighbors that mean a great deal in the absence of her husband.