Military: Discharge to civilian life debriefing

[Kerry]

A news report I'd like to read.

The Department of Defense is presently designing a Discharge Clearing (debriefing) Process for military personnel about to complete their tour of duty; the five-day-long Discharge Clearing Process will take place during the week of the present Discharge Medical Exam.

A spokesperson for the Discharge Clearing Process states: It's time we accept responsibility for the lifetime effects of training teenagers to kill or to support-enable-justify the killing of others; we altered their minds, we trained them to be warriors; now we must support their rehabilitation in support of their well-being and success as valued civilians.*

Military service automatically affects one's moral compass, one's integrity. Many vets still struggle with guilt for some of their actions and behaviors. Others, despite numerous awards, medals, and badges, still feel unacknowledged; "Thank you for your service" often triggers unconsciousness because the acknowledger doesn't know the whole story. No one knows the specific good or bad** incident(s) for which the vet needs to be acknowledged.

Topics discussed during the Discharge Clearing Process are from the Communication-Skills Tutorial for Veterans and the Clearing Process for Professionals; such conversations ensure that one leaves the military acknowledged--for all good and "bad" deeds--with pride and no guilt.

The five-day-long Discharge Clearing Process includes briefings about current trends designed to catch one up on the social, cultural, & legal changes that have taken place while serving (technology, fads, what to expect or not to expect when dating or with employers); the briefings address personal and child-raising relationship communications as well as one's Veterans Administration benefits (medical, housing loans, travel, employment, and education). Several hours are spent composing resumes and job interview coaching. One day, designated as "Job Fair Day," will give vets an opportunity to talk with representatives of the nation's companies searching for employees. 

Among the many relationship-communication exercises will be the viewing of the film, "Thank you for your service."  The film is wrought with all that doesn't work. Ideally the film will be viewed and discussed with one's partner/spouse. Releasing a warrior back into a world that has perfected another communication model, a way of relating, requires coaching.  The film shows how many times the spouses could have caused different outcomes if only they had been trained how to intend answers from someone who is shut down. The film also shows that VA staff also needs coaching. The 20+- veterans who committed suicide last night reveal that not one of them were in-communication with anyone at the VA or at home (zero exceptions).  "Talking," that which we learned in schools, causes more of the same whereas "communication" supports completion. It's unconscionable that the lead characters in the film were able to leave the service with several integrity issues.

Initially, the Discharge Clearings will take place on a service member's military base; eventually, they will be flown to a base nearest their family/hometown, so that family and friends may attend special meetings in support of successful integration. The Discharge Clearing Process begins five days before one's discharge date.

Note: No VA doctor begins each appointment with; "Let's assume that your health issue is your integrity at work, a consequence of something you have not talked about with anyone--what thought comes to mind?"

P.S. All "good" VA staff members non-verbally support infidelity in their department--pretending they don't know that the non-verbal vibrations, the self-imposed karma of such perpetrations affect all outcomes (especially the health of their patients). 

Premises:

1) The difference between talking and communicating: The consequences (the negative karma) of all behaviors can be disappeared via responsible communication--whereas talking about a problem causes it to persist. A clearing creates/restores one's experience of integrity, of deserving to have life and relationships work. --Kerry

2) Virtually every veteran is dragging around one or more significant perpetrations (a lie, a deceit, a theft) committed while serving, a "bad" deed that has not been verbally acknowledged responsibly. A vet and his/her family are completely oblivious of the karma, the lifetime consequences, of any unacknowledged perpetration. VA staff do not address unacknowledged perpetrations.

3) Virtually no parents or spouse of a former service member have been completely acknowledged by the government, or the service member, for their support, the leadership communication skills it took to empower the service member.

* Thirteen years of statistics reveal that that 22 veterans commit suicide (kill themselves) each day. Virtually none experienced being valued, none were in-communication with anyone.

** Chaplains will be available 24/7. They will be commanded to not comment on any confession or to repeat anything they hear, except to their own spiritual advisor.  They will be instructed to not counsel, comment on or offer help or suggestions. Servicemember to Chaplain: "I sent home an AK-47." Chaplain: "Thank you. Is there anything else about that?" Service member: "No. I'm trusting you aren't going to tell anyone."  Chaplain: "I got that. Anything else about that?" For example, each vet will be told, "No matter what you've done, be it murder, rape theft, smuggling, etc. you may get it off your mind. If, during the Discharge Clearing Process, a service member consciously lies when asked, "Is there anything you've done that you can't talk about because of fear of legal ramifications?" then the vet will experience the compounding consequences of that lie and the perpetration. The consequences of the deceit will be evidenced by the fact that the vet will be having reintegration/relationship problems.  Note: In the presence of a loving person of integrity (a Discharge Clearing Process Facilitator) one simply doesn't choose to lie. Most clearing participants report, "It's as though the Facilitator knew what I was thinking."   

Last edited 1/29/24