‘Check in on your battle buddies:’ Oregon VA offers help for struggling Afghan war vets
(Update: Adding video, comment from ODVA campus veteran coordinator)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Four months after seeing images of a hurried withdrawal and desperate Afghans trying to escape on US planes ahead of the advancing Taliban, some veterans of the U.S. war in Afghanistan are struggling.
"When we drew down and the Taliban just kind of took it back over, it felt kind of like a gut punch.” ODVA Campus Veteran Coordinator Joe Mah told NewsChannel 21 on Monday.
Mah is also an Afghan veteran himself.
“Pretty much my entire generation has grown up with the Afghanistan and Iraq wars,” he said.
Now, with the holiday season upon us, some seasonal depression and anxiety is proving even more challenging for Afghan vets.
“They already have their unique struggles tied to their service, and many of them are, you know, living alone. It’s gets dark very early here. It gets very cold,” Mah said. “There’s not a lot of opportunities for them to connect with people.”
He said now may be the most difficult time for Afghan veterans, “especially with the end of the war, and with more and more Afghanistan veterans coming back.”
But Mah said the ODVA is here to help those who are finding this time to especially difficult. The agency can provide many of the resources he said vets who are struggling need.
“I make it my purpose in how I deal with my struggles is making sure they get what they need,” he said.
But he also encourages all veterans to reach out to each other for help.
"Check in on your battle buddies as well,” Mah said. “Check in on your fellow veterans."
ODVA says there is a wide variety of free, confidential resources and other information available to help veterans and their family members navigate these challenges, including https://www.oregon.gov/ODVA/Resources/Pages/default.aspx and much more can be found on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ website at https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/help-for-afghanistan-veterans-families/.
