The trials and tribulations of the modern veteran
Patrina Supler is a single mother of three who is currently working her way through law school. Her journey, however, has been filled with hardships with both visible and invisible scars.
An Army veteran who deployed to Iraq in 2003, the Waynesburg woman is one of 13,000 veterans in Pennsylvania who served during the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars and make up about 16% of the total veteran population in the state. And while her story is unique, Supler’s journey is tragically similar to many of the modern generation of combat veterans
Although all veterans are eligible for equal benefits, regardless of service era or location, the modern generation of combat veterans faces distinct challenges such as substance abuse, feelings of isolation, and struggles with often stigmatized mental health disorders.
Supler joined the Army in 1999 and deployed to Iraq as a fueler in 2003 through 2004 and then joined the National Guard until 2013. A combat veteran, Supler said she found herself drinking to excess after coming home following her deployment as a way to self-medicate from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It was kind of like a horror story,” she said. “It was so difficult as I was trying to adjust to life outside a combat zone and it was really hard to try to find a way to express myself,” she said.
Drinking, drugs prevalent in modern military
Substance abuse is a major issue among veterans. The National Center for PTSD estimates that 1 out of every 10 veterans who served during the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars have a problem with alcohol or other drugs.
“To say drinking is romanticized in the military is an understatement,” said Army veteran Mike Aubele, who served in the Afghanistan war. “It’s just what we did – and you could function in the military in that kind of atmosphere.”
Navy veteran Elmer Weimer said he needed to take painkillers while he was stationed in Japan. When he returned to his home in Fayette County, he started abusing drugs.
“It started out with me wanting to fit in as a 19-year old guy, and that turned into me smoking weed, to taking pain pills to eventually doing heroin,” Weimer said.
Supler and Weimer both described feeling lost when they transitioned to civilian life. In Supler’s case, that translated to overindulging in alcohol; in Weimer’s case, it was drug use.
“I keep saying this, but it really was just like a horror story,” Supler said. “(It) was just so difficult to make the adjustment from coming home from a war zone.”
She struggled finding people who could not only listen to her but also understand what it was like to be in a combat zone and the overall stresses associated with serving the country.
“I was so used to having different people to talk to all the time while I was in (the military), and I don’t think I realized at the time they were my support,” Supler said. “It was definitely a dark time for me and something I think a lot of veterans, especially women, have to go through.”
Weimer said once he left the military, he found himself starting to isolate from friends and family, including his then wife and daughter. Alone, hurt and afraid, Weimer’s feeling of worthlessness intensified as he sank deeper into his addiction.
“I felt like I became undesirable to everybody. Nobody was there to give me orders and soon all the excitement and joy and that feeling of people being proud of me quickly went away,” he said. “I could never get the thought of being undesirable out of my head.”
Feeling lost
Transition from military to civilian life can be one of the toughest challenges veterans who served in the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars can face. The former director of veteran affairs for Fayette County and Marine veteran Brian Bensen said he thinks one of the biggest issues the millennial-era veterans face is feeling like they are alone once they get out of the military.
“Biggest thing I fear for our younger veterans is purpose. In the over five years, I have been doing this job – when there is no reason to wake up, that’s where our problems start,” he said. “Some veterans receive compensation for injuries and don’t need to work. They isolate themselves.”
Aubele, who serves as Fayette County’s district attorney, echoed that sentiment of how challenging it can be to find structure and purpose once getting out of the military.
“When I got out in June, it was the first time I hadn’t served my country in a capacity since I had turned 18,” Aubele said. “Fortunately I was able to fill that void with this position pretty quickly, but I understand that lull can play on you. When you take that uniform off – it means something.”
Director of Veteran Affair for Washington County, Bobbi Cumpston said she also believes that one of the hardest adjustments for veterans is when they transition out of the military back into civilian life, noting that that millennial aged veterans can have feelings of inadequacy and a lost sense of purpose which she said can be heightened by social media.
“A lot of the ‘hero worship’ goes away once you get out,” Cumpston said. “You suffer in the uniform but then they get out and look around and ask themselves ‘What’s next?’ and ‘Does anybody recognize me? Does anyone see me?'”
Army Veteran Kim Sugden, who served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, said she believes some of the challenges millennial-aged veterans face revolve around mental health such as PTSD – a complicated condition in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.
“So many veterans deal with PTSD, anxiety and depression, all coming from their time in the service. Making the adjustment from military to civilian isn’t a smooth ride and some never recover from the regimented and structured lifestyle,” the Washington County woman said.
The Veterans Association Public Health Organization estimates that nearly 16% of veterans who served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffer from PTSD, while the National Center for PTSD estimates that almost 30% of veterans who served during that time frame have experienced PTSD.
The organization also estimates 1 in every 3 veterans with PTSD also suffer from some sort of substance abuse
“It’s really tough because I felt like I didn’t have anyone to talk to, so I would just drink,” said Supler. “I would just get drunk all the time.”
What’s next?
There have been over 3 million people who have served in the military during the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and while each service member’s eventual path to peace is a unique journey, the road to healing is an obtainable one.
Supler said once she got out of the military she returned to Greene County and had a difficult time finding a way to connect with other veterans.
“You know sometimes it’s almost intimidating; I’ll walk into a veterans event and there will be a whole bunch of men, much older than me and sometimes I feel like I get judged because I’m a female.
“And you know they don’t make the cool veterans hats for women,” she said laughing.
During her transition to civilian life from the military, Supler said her drinking became out of hand causing unnecessary chaos in her life, such as almost losing her house in a foreclosure.
“Once my son was born, I realized I had to be better,” she said. “That’s when I stopped drinking, enrolled in school and haven’t really looked back.”
Supler said she credits her children and her relationship with God as what helped her struggle, but said she could not find a veterans program for women that was really helpful.
“It seems like the female veterans kind of get shoved to the side because we’re not recognized nearly as often as our male counterparts.”