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Military Spouses Bear Large Burden

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By LINDSAY PETERSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

TAMPA - Thousands of men and women of the National Guard and Reserve are returning home from the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, picking up where they left off at their grocery store, insurance or warehouse jobs.

They may look unscathed, but many are carrying wounds that might not show up for months, or years, said Paula Sumrall, a National Guard family adviser.

Employers have welcomed their guard and reservist employees back, she said. Many of these employers, however, don't realize that the man or woman who returns may be different from the one who left.

"We don't have a lot of employers who are well versed in PTSD or TBI. They're not able to understand what has happened to their workers who served," she said, speaking Friday in Tampa on a panel of military wives at the annual meeting of the Military Officers Association of America.

Sumrall, whose husband, Michael, is a National Guard officer based in Washington, D.C., is part of a team that works with family members of returning service men and women. She's also part of the Spouse Advisory Council for the Military Officers Association. Before moving to Washington two years ago, she and her husband were stationed in Tampa.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have strained the National Guard and reserves, they also have strained the families of those service members, she said. In many ways it's worse for them than regular military families because they don't have the support found on military bases.

"They're scattered across the country," she said.

When a member of the Guard or reserves is wounded, family members struggle to keep track of them. "They might be told they're going to Walter Reed, then end up at Fort Bragg," she said. "We have wounded people who fall through the cracks."

It's not just a spouse or parents seeking information, she said. Because so many Guard and reserve members are older, they have large extended families. In addition to their parents, they have grown siblings, and grown children and grandchildren.

Visiting Walter Reed Hospital recently, she said, she met a wounded guardsman who was 55. He had lost the use of one of his arms. He was worried because he cared for his elderly parents.

The most prevalent problem she sees, though, is post-traumatic stress disorder. It is estimated that 16 percent of service people returning from Iraq suffered from the disorder, which can cause nightmares, severe anxiety, even paranoia. The military is trying to do a better job of spotting the signs and treating it early, she said, but the Guard and reserve members often miss out.

They're under pressure to get back home to their families and jobs. They may feel they're ready, even when they're not, she said. Also, employers need to understand and watch for the signs.

"They may have been a star employee and suddenly their work starts to slip," she said. The signs of traumatic brain injury, caused by a blow to the head, can be more severe. It's often mistaken for PTSD, but the causes are strictly neurological and have nothing to do with stress.

"It may start with a tremor, but it can get progressively worse," she said.

As the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continues, more in the Guard and reserves will return home with both PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. "Without support of employers in the communities, there are going to be consequences for the families," she said.

"But understanding what's happening with these men and women, we can make their lives and the lives of their families a lot easier."

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