F e a t u r e s
Decompression T
he Reverend (Squadron Leader) Andrew Jones explains why just a few days of readjustment can be so
helpful to those returning from front line ops.
Imagine yourself over the course of a year, being taken on an emotional roller coaster. For some of the time life will be on an even keel, perhaps even boring. As the roller coaster begins to climb you will experience a sense of anticipation and excitement. Approaching the peak, excitement may become anxiety and foreboding. Your mind will be so focused on what’s coming that you can’t concentrate on anything or anyone else. Suddenly you are over the peak and begin a headlong plunge of exhilaration and terror. When you reach the bottom the roller coaster levels off and slows down, but you can’t slow down so quickly. Your head is still buzzing and your heart is still pounding. Eventually you start to relax but no sooner do you start noticing the view and the people around you than the car begins climbing to another peak and another plunge. After you have been around a few times the overall effect of the ride is to make you feel sick and you’d actually quite like to get off, at least for a while.
The constant round of operational deployments demands extraordinary emotional resilience and adaptability of our Servicemen and women. The strain experienced by many Service families is not just down to the long periods of separation but also includes the build up to going and the adjustments required on returning home.
There are several strands involved in readjusting to the home routine. Quite naturally, when Service people are working hard in dangerous and difficult circumstances
their brains become more vigilant and alert for possible threats. They will sleep lightly and react instantly to loud noises or alarms going off. When they are giving or receiving orders they expect them to be carried out immediately, without argument, as lives could depend on it.
We have all heard stories of Service persons diving for cover when a car backfires after they have returned home. It can take a little while for the brain to relax its vigilance, but gradually it does just that. We may well imagine too that service families may not respond so well to the modes of communication that have become ingrained during deployment. It can take a little while to get back into ‘family mode’.
Although people may be looking forward to coming home many actually miss the close camaraderie they experienced on operations. After the intensity that has been experienced home life can, for a while, seem bland and meaningless. It can take a while to be happy again with old routines.
Those left behind have had their own experiences. Life will have moved on for them too. Spouses and partners may well have had to cope with greater responsibility. They will have changed the home routine to suit themselves. They may well be glad to welcome their loved one back to the fold but they will have their own stresses and expectations. Children may react in all sorts of ways, from joy to fear to indifference. It is important to have realistic expectations if homecomings are not to be a disappointment. Taking things slowly with relationships of all sorts is the key to success.
It may well be the case that during operations our people will have witnessed and experienced things that can be hard to bear. One of the ways we try to help our people adjust back to normal domestic life following a Formed Unit deployment is to give them a period of decompression immediately before taking them home. Personnel are given time when they can get out of uniform and relax. Sports may be organised, entertainment will be provided and briefings will be given to prepare them for the return home.
10 Autumn 2008
Before leaving theatre personnel are shown a DVD that covers what has been said above. During the decompression period the troops are briefed on the same things with a chance for questions and discussion. Safe driving and responsible enjoyment of alcohol are also covered. Everybody leaves for home with a small booklet that goes into greater detail and gives tips for a successful homecoming. Normally, everybody is also given contact details for welfare staff that are available to them at their home units.
Whilst we should not have unrealistic expectations of what decompression can achieve, there is undoubtedly a value in allowing people to let off steam in a safe environment. We hope that the first step in getting used to the roller coaster car riding along on the level for a while will have been taken before our people get home to their friends and families. Chaplains regard their role in the decompression process as a natural extension of their pastoral care for the people who serve in our armed forces.
Chairman’s note: For those personnel deployed as part of a non-Formed Unit, the RAF has devised policies to ensure that when individuals return to their parent units, flight commanders and welfare officers are available to help personnel readjust to life post ops and to identity those who may need a little extra support. We will report on the policy in a forthcoming issue of Envoy.
www.raf-families-federation.org.uk
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