The Difficulties Veterans Have Transitioning Back Into Society

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- It’s memorial weekend, a time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Earlier today, The Richard Holmes Veterans Memorial Foundation kicked off its 4th annual veterans memorial run.

The foundation provides services and resources to veterans to help them transition back into society.
Anxiety issues, and Post traumatic stress disorder are just a few of the issues veterans suffer from when they return home.

“As civilians we really don’t have a clue the kinds of experiences these young people go through,” said Judie Holmes, executive director for The Richard Holmes II Veterans Memorial Foundation

Holmes knows how difficult it can be for veterans to transition back into society.

“You can take the man out of the war, but often times the war is still with that man or woman when they get back,” she said.

Holmes said often times veterans slip through the cracks once they get back from war, and it can take months, or even years before they are able to get the services they need.

“For example, an anxiety disorder to substance abuse or PTSD, any of those, those are things that can’t wait 18 months to be serviced,” she said.

A lot of times it’s not always physical disabilities that’s hurting soldiers when they return.

Holmes said their emotional stability is severely lacking, which is something she’s all to familiar with.

“When our son came back, he was diagnosed with PTSD,” she said.

In 2002 her son Richard II , was deployed to Iraq, and fought in the war, and When he returned back home.

“We didn’t recognize him,” she said. “We sent away a young boy, and the Army sent back to us a broken man.”

Richard II was suffering from PTSD when he passed away.

Wanting to provide more help, Holmes along with her husband made it their mission to start the The Richard Holmes Veterans Memorial Foundation, so know one else has to go through what she went through.

“Often times they lose their families because family members don’t know how to deal with them when they have their episodes, reciting incidents that happened on the battlefield so that’s major, because if they’re not emotional sound, then everything else is lacking,” she said.

If anyone is dealing with or knows someone dealing with a difficult transition back into society, visit IF anyone is dealing with http://www.reh2.org/for ways to help.