Wheels Down: Adjusting to Life After Deployment

199 Pages·2010·2.64 MB·English

by  Bret A. Moore

Moore and Kennedy have provided a practical, hands-on collection
of sound advice, tips, techniques, and strategies for returning service
personnel and their family members. This engaging book should be
must-reading for all returning warriors and those mental health
workers who serve them.
—Donald Meichenbaum, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus,
University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Research Director of the
Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention, Miami, FL
This is the kind of guidance we dreamed of getting when I was a
young psychologist attempting to care for war fighters in harm’s
way. If you work in mental health, read this. If you’re a veteran, own
this. The SOP for your ‘new normal’ will be sitting in the palm of
your hand.
—Peter J. N. Linnerooth, PhD, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, Readjustment Counseling Service; Combat Psychologist,
U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division, Operation Iraqi Freedom
2006–2008, Capitola, CA
Surviving Fallujah was one thing; fighting the battle within, at home,
is quite another. As an Army medic who survived the greatest battle
of the Iraq War, I would have put this book in my aid bag for each
of my troops to read upon redeployment. Now, as a counselor for
the VA, I’ll make sure my troops do.
—Brock A. McNabb, BS, Readjustment Counseling Specialist,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Combat Medic, U.S. Army’s
1st Infantry Division, OIF II & OIF 06-08, Capitola, CA

Wheels
DoWn
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W h e e l s
D o W n
Adjusting to Life
After depLoyment
Bret A. moore And CArrie H. Kennedy
American Psychological Association • Washington, DC
WheelsDown titlepgs.indd 2 7/6/10 5:18 PM
Copyright © 2011 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved.
Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this
publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, including,
but not limited to, the process of scanning and digitization, or stored in a database
or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Typeset in Sabon by Circle Graphics, Columbia, MD
Printer: United Book Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD
Cover Designer: Naylor Design, Washington, DC
The opinions and statements published are the responsibility of the authors, and
such opinions and statements do not necessarily represent the policies of the
American Psychological Association.
The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not reflect the
official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of the
Navy, Department of Defense, or the United States Government.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moore, Bret A.
Wheels down : adjusting to life after deployment / Bret A. Moore and Carrie H.
Kennedy.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4338-0872-2
ISBN-10: 1-4338-0872-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-4338-0873-9 (e-book)
ISBN-10: 1-4338-0873-0 (e-book)
1. Veterans—Mental health—United States. 2. Deployment (Strategy)—Social
aspects—United States. 3. Post-traumatic stress disorder. 4. Combat—Psychological
aspects. I. Kennedy, Carrie H. II. Title.
UH629.3.M665 2011
355.1'29—dc22
2010012949
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record is available from the British Library.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
To all the selfless men and women in uniform
serving around the world.

CONTENTS
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 3
Chapter 1. The Homecoming 7
Chapter 2. Anger: How Can It Be Healthy and Kill Me
at the Same Time? 19
Chapter 3. I Can’t #&$%! Sleep! 29
Chapter 4. The Deployment Wiped Me Out Financially 39
Chapter 5. It Looks Like I’m Going to Be Single Again 49
Chapter 6. My Child Has Changed 59
Chapter 7. Is Deployment Different for Women? 71
Chapter 8. Is My Substance Use or Gambling Out
of Control? 85
Chapter 9. Dealing With the Grief of Losing a Comrade 97
ix