Elise: Remembering why no one should be left behind

Can you imagine jumping out of bed and immediately crouching when you hear the icemaker in your refrigerator humming?  At least that would imply that you were sleeping.

Andrea Elise
Andrea Elise

What if sleep never came?  What if you couldn’t read the newspaper without losing a thought after the first sentence?   What would happen if you couldn’t get to the grocery store when you were down to your last piece of bread?

Maybe you finally forced yourself to put on your jeans and start the car, but you saw a crowded parking lot and made a U-turn back home.  Or perhaps you made it into the store, but another shopper accidentally pushed her cart in front of you.

Does your heart start to race as you stifle the urge to yell at the shopper?  Maybe you cannot fight the urge to yell or cry or to find a “safe aisle” to compose yourself.

None of these behaviors and activities are abnormal.  On the contrary, they are so common for individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that it is a disgrace for all of us not to acknowledge the symptoms and try to help.

Since 2014, the Veterans Resource Center at 800 S. Rusk has been assisting veterans, surviving spouses and families deal with what is sometimes the fallout of having chosen duty, honor and country over oneself.

Partnering with Family Support Services, VRC provides counseling, online and in-person support, and offers a host of other resources, including equine-assisted therapy, to help veterans and their families re-integrate into life and blossom in their communities.

Verlene Dickson, VRC Director and Retired Sergeant Major, knows about the above symptoms.  She was in the Army for 27 years, a born leader with the calm temperament required to manage 3,700 troops.  Her patient presence and courage led her to be the perfect person promoted to that status.

Verlene, like so many other veterans who return to civilian life, learned there is another battle to fight.  That made her, once again, the perfect individual to head an organization dedicated to the mission of helping veterans move forward.

Trauma is different for all of us, but one consistent truth is clear. We must tell our story many, many times in order to begin to unravel the skein of yarn in which our emotions are wrapped.

Someone also must listen behind our words, to pay attention to signals like body language and use of specific phrases to unlock the intent people – in this case, veterans – who tell their story.

Patience, active listening, empathy, gentle encouragement: these are all needed to help meet the Veteran’s Resource Center second goal after their moto “No One Left Behind.”

That goal is moving forward.  We all can and will move forward, with the help of God and unique places like VRC.  Blessings to Verlene and all the staff at the Veterans Resource Center, and thank you, veterans, for your service, now and always.

Andrea Elise is a graduate of Duke University and West Texas A&M who lives in Amarillo with her husband.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Andrea Elise remembering why no one should be left behind