Returning veterans sometimes struggle to find ways of
applying their new experiences and skills in civilian life. For Alfeia
DeVaughn Goodwin (ALL-FEE-uh d-VAUGHN Goodwin) it meant
refocusing her mission from soldiering in Iraq to policing in
Philadelphia. Geoff Gundersdorf (Jeff Gun-ders-dorf) reports as part
of our Impact of War series.
HOST INTRO: Returning veterans sometimes struggle to find ways of
applying their new experiences and skills in civilian life. For Alfeia
DeVaughn Goodwin it meant refocusing her mission from soldiering in Iraq to policing in Philadelphia. Geoff Gundersdorf reports as part of our Impact of War series
Alfeia DeVaughn Goodwin returned home to Philadelphia in 2004, after serving a year in Iraq as a logistics specialist. The 40 year old mother of three teenagers remembers it wasn't an easy transition.
ALFEIA D. GOODWIN:" It was challenging, because you are dealing with so much. I
had to take a moment, I moved in with my mom when I came back
from the war. Because you basically, have to take a moment to just
calm yourself down".
Before joining the military, Goodwin worked as an HIV
case manager and educator. Ten years ago, after getting divorced
and losing her father to HIV, she felt the need to make a change in
her life. Her brother was in the army at the time and she decided to
follow his path and enlisted. Not long after, Goodwin was deployed to
Iraq.
ADG : "Iraq is a very loud noisy, chaotic place, all of the time. It's a
situation where as a soldier you feel that you are surrounded by
chaos at all times. But as soldiers we make every sense of attempt
to follow with our routine".
Once she returned home, Goodwin says, the support of her family and other
soldiers in the area helped her transition to civilian life. She was still in
the National Guard and it's during one of the regular reservist's training
sessions that she found her new career path.
ADG "I was at drill actually with a soldier and she is a police
officer. She says to me you ever think about becoming a police
officer. And I said no. She said oh, I think you should".
Goodwin decided to take the idea seriously. Police
departments across the country actively recruit veterans. The
transition from soldier to police officer is common. Research
conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police came
to the same conclusion. Col. Arnold Daxe, led the study as the project
manager for Employing Returning Combat Veterans as Law
Enforcement Officers.
Col. Arnold DAXE: "Take a good hard look at the skill sets that veterans bring to the table and one of them right off the bat is leadership and another
one is discipline, and another one is they have an operational
efficiency because they are used to taking orders and in many cases
giving orders".
In collaboration with the Department of Justice, the
national research project led by Col. Arnold Daxe, studied the issues
surrounding returning combat veterans who enter or return to law
enforcement careers. The study concluded that a soldier's expertise
in firearms and tactical skills, their ability to react and make decisions
under stress, and a greater willingness to involve themselves in
dangerous situations are a good match for police work.
After completing her shift for the day in North Philadelphia, Officer Goodwin stops into a local pizza place close to her headquarters.
ADG. "Hey, What's up Chief? He's an army Sgt. too and he just
made Sgt. here in the police department".
Goodwin often runs into other veterans on the police. The process of acclimating from the battlefield to protecting the streets of Philadelphia can have its challenges. For Goodwin, and other soldiers, it helps to understand the parallels between the rank structure of the military and the police.
ADG. "We go through the rank structures. Like me, I have been a private, specialist, sergeant, second lt., first lt., captain and for other soldiers who have been through the rank structure, it's about how can I help you?
After returning home, Goodwin decided to serve her community in yet another way. While in Iraq, she was inspired by the role of the Chaplain and admired the relationship and the trust they held with soldiers. She decided to follow her calling and since she returned home from Iraq, she has become Pennsylvania's first African American Female Chaplain for the National Guard. Recently, she has also become an Associate Pastor at Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia.
ADG: "With all of the hats I wear, all of the activities, that I am part
of. That is the one thing they all have in common, is how can I serve
in this situation? How can I be of the greatest use?"
Local veterans' groups pleased with new PTSD regulations
July 14, 2010
Local Veterans groups and Veterans' Affairs officials are applauding new federal legislation regarding benefits for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Maiken Scott reports from WHYY's Behavioral Health Desk.
Gone and forgotten...until now
June 1, 2010
Hundreds of cremated remains of former soldiers have sat for decades, unclaimed, on shelves of funeral homes in New Jersey. A group of living veterans are giving the dead the burial they never had.
Much has been written about the wars being fought by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. In her new book, The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of Our Soldiers, Nancy Sherman probes the inner war being fought by service men and women. A philosopher and psychoanalyst who teaches ethics at Georgetown University and the U.S. Naval Academy, Sherman examines the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by modern warriors, and the lingering effects their choices have for the rest of their lives, and U.S. society.
The Impact of War at Home
About 4,000 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team are expected to deploy to Iraq later this year. Hundreds of these men and women live in the Philadelphia area. They include business owners, computer programmers, teachers, students and cooks, and they are wives, husbands, and parents. As the soldiers gear up for war, their family members prepare for their absence. Over the next year, in conjunction with National Public Radio and three other Pennsylvania public radio stations, WHYY will tell the stories of these soldiers, their families and how they cope emotionally, and financially, with the absence of their loved ones.
Additional coverage on the effects of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts on soldiers and their families can be found at War Torn - a series by The New York Times. The articles and multimedia tell the stories of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home.
