Please call 1-866-394-4146 Passcode: 11157570

Campus Compact of the Mountain West Timm Lovitt, TBI Project Coordinator, OIF/OEF

Peter Schmidt, Psy. D., Project Director, USAF Vet

Veteran Training Support Center

1. Pad of paper…..journal thoughts and feelings.

2. Please note any questions you may have for us.

3. Make sure mute button remains on. Any noise or distraction will stop the webinar.

4. If you must leave for a minute, do not put your line on “hold.”

VETERAN CONNECTION

1. Define key experiences of the transition between military and civilian life.

2. Develop strategies and tactics that best fit your campus environment.

3. Describe how Veterans can be a resource to your institution.

4. Identify emerging promising best practices.

5. Continue to increase one’s cultural competence with Veterans and their families.

MILITARY BASIC TRAINING

Application of significant degrees of physical and mental stress to tear-down civilian self and replace it with a warrior (soldier, sailor, marine, airman, coastie).

Powers, R. (2009). US military: How to survive military basic training. Retrieved October 25, 2009 from http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/basictraining.htm?p=1

• Self-discipline Sacrifice

• Loyalty Obedience

• espirit de corps

• Depersonalization

• Deindividuation

NEW CORE VALUES AND IDENTITY

Battlemind is the Soldier’s inner strength to face fear and adversity in combat with courage. Key components include:

• Self-confidence

• Take calculated risks • Handle future

challenges

• Mental toughness • Overcome obstacles or setbacks • Maintain positive thoughts during times of

adversity and challenge

BATTLEMIND

Buddies (Cohesion) Accountability Targeted Aggression Tactical Awareness Lethally Armed Emotional Control Mission Ops Security Individual Resp. Non-Def. (Cmbt) Driving Discipline

Withdrawal Controlling Inappropriate Aggression Hypervigilance Locked and Loaded at

Home Anger/Detachment Secretiveness Guilt Aggressive Driving Conflict

Homemind

• Buddies only understand.

Don’t want to burden family.

Don’t want to hurt anyone by sharing experiences or because of anger.

Avoid speaking w/ family/friends – don’t share.

No Relationship = Isolation.

Control of weapons & gear.

Details are important. Attention to detail saves lives.

Details are no longer important. Overreact to minor events.

Split-second decisions. Anger and adrenalin = alert, awake, alive.

Snap at spouse, kids, buddies… fights…avoid people.

Split second decisions at home? Collaborative and process decision making?

Be vigilant & aware of surroundings & react immediately to sudden changes.

Anxious in large crowds…easily startled… difficulty sleeping – position self to be very aware of area.

Lethally Armed – In combat, it’s dangerous to be unarmed…….

At home, a weapon continues to mean safety and survival.

Controlling emotions in combat is critical.

Controlling emotions at home……..

….Leads to relationship failure, loneliness, and isolation.

Mission OPSEC – Talk with those who have a need to know…

At home, perceived need for continued security…no sharing.

Responsibility to survive and help battle buddies to survive…

Guilt, failed buddies, second guessing decisions…bothered by memories.

Nondefensive Driving – Combat driving avoids danger…

Aggressive driving at home? Avoid perceived threats i.e., bags on road, hidden areas, foreign objects.

Reliving the adrenalin rush…

Survival depends on discipline and obedience…

At home…chain of

command with family…leads to

conflict…inflexible interactions.

SOLDIER’S CREED

I will always place the

mission first.

I will never accept

defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen

comrade.

• Strength, valor, courage, fortitude, honor, esprit de corps, respect, integrity are all noble traits of a warrior.

• For a warrior to develop stress symptoms of any kind is failure to live up to the warrior ideal.

BATTLEMIND

Buddies (Cohesion) Accountability Targeted Aggression Tactical Awareness Lethally Armed Emotional Control Mission Ops Security Individual Resp. Non-Def. (cmbt) Dr Discipline

Withdrawal Controlling Inappropriate Aggression Hypervigilance Locked and Loaded at

Home Anger/Detachment Secretiveness Guilt Aggressive Driving Conflict

Homemind

Now, After

http://vimeo.com/4954724

Kyle Hausmann-Stokes

Inside Me

A Tribute to US Soldiers

• Killing with hate, rage,

elation

• Give orders to kill or

sending to death

• Death or maiming of

women/children

• Killing someone up close

• Seeing gruesome scenes

of carnage

• Handling dead bodies

and body parts

PRIMITIVE AND WARRIOR TRIBES

Killing someone without splitting oneself from the feelings that the act engenders requires an effort of supreme consciousness that, quite frankly is beyond most humans. Killing is what warriors do for society. Yet when they return home, society doesn’t generally acknowledge that act it asked them to do created a deep split in their psyches, or a psychological and spiritual weight most of them will stumble beneath the rest of their lives. Warriors must learn how to integrate the experience of killing, to put the pieces of their psyches back together again. For the most part, they have been left to do this on their own. (p. 26)

No training program to “demiliatrize.”

THE SEPARATION

High unemployment (18-24 year olds), homelessness, invisible wounds, and suicide.

To understand the transition means

• How might combat and military experiences transfer to the academic environment? What behaviors, attitudes and beliefs might one observe?

• What can be done to accommodate their training and experiences in the higher education setting?

Project Outcomes:

Organize information in user-ready format,

Assess King County institutions

Facilitate cross-pollination

Practice #1:

Do not strive to be veteran-friendly,

make your campus VETERAN-SUPPORTIVE

Some view these

activities as marketing

strategies/ploys

Practice #2:

Create a veterans advisory committee

Ideal Committee Members:

Admissions Representative Certifying Official

Dean(s) of Academic Program(s)

Director of Counseling Services

Vice President of Student Services

Student Veterans (both men and women)

Faculty

Disability Services Officer

Practice #3:

WELCOME VETERANS to your campus

rather than thank them for their service

VS.

Practice #4:

Identify the needs of student veterans through

focus groups or informational interviews

Practice #5:

Create a centralized location for

veteran-related resources

Practice #6:

Host/Sponsor campus activities on

days of significance

Practice #7:

Recognize prior military service during

graduation and other recognition

ceremonies

Practice #8:

Build a webpage for veterans and

update it regularly

Practice #9:

Create opportunities for veterans to

volunteer within the local community

CNCS Video

Practice #10:

Use familiar signs and

symbols

Practice #11:

Create a symbolic place on campus

that is dedicated to veterans

Practice #12:

Create a campus challenge coin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6VmUulPab4M

Make the Connection

Half of Us

Campus Compact of the Mountain West, Veteran Student Success page:

http://www.ccmountainwest.org/programs/Veteran-Student-Success

Campus Compact of the Mountain West: .

Thank you for your time and effort to better serve, those who have served!