From the Director

July 16, 2009

May marked the kick-off of the Real Warriors Campaign, a multimedia public education initiative designed to combat the stigma associated with seeking psychological health care and treatment and to encourage service members to increase their awareness and use of these resources.

For many of our warriors, coming home does not mean that the battle is finished.

The battle often continues — in hearts and minds, relationships and communities — after deployment. Families and loved ones often find themselves fighting a battle, too, striving to understand and support the person they care for after a life-changing experience that the service member may not want to remember, let alone talk about.

Reintegrating to home, work, family and community can be arduous. As one sergeant put it, “It’s tough to move from being a target to shopping at Target!” Some find that memories can be even more disturbing than the actual experience, because what they once believed could touch them only on the battlefield has now followed them home.

Treatment is available, but for many warriors, the barrier to getting that treatment is stigma: they may perceive bias or discrimination against those who ask for help. The Real Warriors Campaign is being launched to combat that stigma with a broad-based call to action, including information for families and employers on what to expect when service members come home and how to support and encourage them to get the help they need.

The campaign also includes stories of real service members who have sought treatment and are continuing to maintain successful military or civilian careers. These profiles will let our warriors know that they are not alone in dealing with a psychological wound or traumatic brain injury and that reaching out does make a difference.

I invite you to check out these profiles — read them, watch them, take them to heart. The remarkable warriors you will meet have amazing and enduring stories to tell. It takes real strength to fight these real battles.

To the journey ~ Loree K. Sutton, M.D. Brigadier General, MC, USA Director