A Therapist Reflects on Memorial Day in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Brooklyn's 156th Memorial Day Parade 2023
I remember attending the Memorial Day parade on third avenue with my father many years ago. I knew he was a Marine who served towards the end of the Vietnam War but I didn’t know much else. I noticed it was the least attended parade in my parade-loving hometown in Brooklyn, NY. I watched him salute fellow veterans who in his opinion did far more for our country than he did. He left high school without graduating in order to serve. He was disappointed he wasn’t a bit older, able to start training and be deployed sooner.
Years later, my dad was somehow kept track of the professional letters after my name with each degree and exam I passed, despite being dyslexic and suffering through undiagnosed ADHD. We loved to joke about how he would have to call me Sir if I took a career path as a Social Worker in the armed forces. Half of me really wanted to for that reason alone.
Veterans with PTSD in New York City
Veterans of all genders in the US receive subpar support during and after their service. I know this because in training to specialize in treating anxiety and trauma in adulthood, I first learned of trauma conditions related to combat and war. George Carlin says it a little better than I can:
Trauma, anxiety and chronic illness too often go untreated, especially in those of us who have been conditioned to push ourselves passed the limit for a greater purpose. Intergenerational trauma is passed down to the children and families of Veterans and trauma survivors.
Together we have to stop trying to minimize, ignore, bottle-up, numb away what happened. Let’s be courageous by facing what’s been left unhealed so we can break the cycle for future generations.