Success after war: Challenging the ‘broken vet’ myth (audio)

Picture a veteran on this Veterans Day. Who do you see? 

Is it a valiant hero who’s at least outwardly unscathed by war? Is it a man or woman showing signs of having been broken by combat, and on only the earliest steps toward reintegrating into civilian life? Neither of those views is representative of the whole story. Each glosses over a huge part of the veteran experience.

“War is so much bigger than anything you could ever imagine,” says the Monitor’s Martin Kuz, who was embedded with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and who has spent much of his career covering veterans’ issues. He has witnessed some of the difficult transitions that are so widely covered. But he has also seen something more. 

“Some [veterans] have had problems with post-traumatic stress disorder,” he says. “Having that kind of longer relationship with them has allowed me to sort of see the effects of the after-war and how they try to cope. And the good news is that almost all of them find their way forward.” 

For Veterans Day, he spoke with the Monitor’s Samantha Laine Perfas about an underreported phenomenon: post-traumatic growth. 

Note: This audio story was designed to be heard. We strongly encourage you to experience it with your ears, but we understand that is not an option for everybody. You can find the audio player above. For those who are unable to listen, we have provided a transcript of the story below.