JANUARY 3, 2010 \ PHILADELPHIA, PA \ DIVERSE NEWS — I found this website incidentally, which was linked to another story. For the returning veterans, it should be of some use to you. -JT
Coming Home
“I think one of the biggest problems with the veterans coming back – myself included – is that you’re so used to that institutionalized way of life,” says Brock Horner, 25, a US Army veteran who served 15 months in Afghanistan with Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion Airborne, 503rd Infantry in Kabul Province. “You always have things set in stone and always have a set schedule that someone else makes for you. When you come home, a switch is turned off, and you don’t have that anymore. You have to do it all yourself, so it’s completely different and overwhelming.”
Unfortunately, Horner isn’t alone. According to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), there are more than 1.7 million veterans who served in one of these two countries – 41 percent of them between 17 and 25 years old. All in all, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans represent 7.5 percent of the veteran population in the United States, which totaled 22,424,712 in 2008.
MyRebootCamp.com was created to serve Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and address the real issues and challenges associated with transitioning from active duty to civilian life. The change is a process, and the web site’s purpose is to help those service men and women and their families successfully make that shift.
The web site features webisodes with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans discussing their challenges and the resources they drew upon as they returned to civilian life. It also includes a series of learning modules with links to a wealth of resources for military and their families to access.
Specific learning module topics include:
* Personal values and career exploration
* Exploration of learning styles
* Goal setting and effective decision making
* Managing change and stress
* Understanding the impact of substance abuse and living a healthy lifestyle
* Empowering attitudes
* Money, budgeting and time management
* Accessing VA educational benefits and financial aid
To learn more about My Reboot Camp, and the resources and services available to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, visit MyRebootCamp.com.
MyRebootCamp.com is produced by the State College of Florida Foundation, Inc. through a generous grant from the Florida BRAIVE Fund and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice.
–
About the Author
