Help journalists cover the modern veteran experience - Public Insight Network | American Public Media

Help journalists cover the modern veteran experience

About a third of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan say they've experienced some kind of mental health issue. As these conflicts wind down, are adequate services in place to support veterans to mentally move on from war?

Journalists here at American Public Media have reported on veterans' issues for the last several months. If you're a veteran or have a loved one who is, help us better understand the veteran experience by answering our questions below.

Your insight will help inform our upcoming stories and we may contact you to find out more. But your information will remain completely confidential unless you explicitly give us permission below to share your story.

Thanks for your time.

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First Name *

Last Name *

E-mail *

City

State or Province

Postal Code *

Country

Phone

Please tell us about your military service (branch, approximate dates served, rank, where you served). *

What was the biggest challenge of leaving active duty? Was it physical, emotional, psychological, something else?

What, if any, support did you receive to assist with this transition? Has this support been helpful? Why or why not? *

A new term is catching on at the VA and the Pentagon to describe something that sometimes happens to people in combat that a PTSD diagnosis doesn't cover.

Former VA psychiatrist Jonathan Shay, who has counseled veterans in the Boston area for more than 20 years, calls it "moral injury." Moral injury, he says, "is where there is a betrayal of what's right by someone who holds legitimate authority in a high-stakes situation."

Is there anything about your experiences that resonates with this concept? Were you ever a part of something that went against your sense of right and wrong?

Some of the central questions when diagnosing "moral injury" include the following:

Do you struggle to forgive yourself for things you did or witnessed while on active duty?

Never
Sometimes
Often

Do you feel anger towards yourself or others for what happened while you were in combat?

Never
Sometimes
Often

If you've struggled with the transition to civilian life, are there coping strategies that have worked for you, even the if relief was only temporary? What are they?

What else should we know that would make our understanding of the veteran experience more complete?

If you have an original photo that helps illustrate what you described above, or just of yourself -- in or out of uniform -- please upload it here. (No larger than 10MB, please.)

Tell us a little about the photo: name(s), date, location, and the story behind it.

Are you willing to help us find other veterans to help inform our reporting on this topic?

sure
no thanks

May we publish your insights (and any uploaded files) and attribute them to you? Your comments may be edited for length or clarity. If you choose "no", or "contact me first", your comments will of course be completely confidential. *

sure
no thanks
contact me first

And now, three final quick questions to help us better understand your perspective:

In what year were you born?

What do you do for work now?

Where can we find you or connect with you online? (your homepage URL, Google +, Facebook page, Twitter handle, blog URL, etc.)

Your Information

By completing this form, you become part of American Public Media's Public Insight Network (PIN). American Public Media and any other PIN newsroom listed on this form may contact you for help with current and future news coverage.

This submission may be shared with journalists at American Public Media and other news organizations collaborating on reporting. It will not be used for marketing or fundraising purposes, and we will never quote you without first getting your explicit permission.

If you give us permission to publish your submission, we may edit before sharing it on-air, in print or online. We reserve the right to reuse or republish your submission, or to withhold your submission from publication. You must be 13 years or older to provide a submission.

About the Public Insight Network

Founded in 2003, American Public Media's Public Insight Network is a platform for connecting trusted journalists with knowledgeable sources and for fostering journalistic excellence, innovation and collaboration. Learn more »

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