Natosha Monroe

Well, the time has come for me to end my deployment here in Afghanistan and return home to the States. This is a move I have mixed emotions about, but am looking forward to making so I can continue my life in the “real-world.” When on a deployment, it feels as though life back home is on “pause” just waiting for that final homecoming flight that will push “play,” causing everything to resume from the freeze frame. But in reality this isn’t the case at all—it only feels that way to those of us who have been deployed—which is a strange concept to truly grasp. In reality, everything and everybody in our lives back home have been in motion the entire time we’ve been away, it seems, without us. This is a feeling I’ve experienced and am prepared for. Without giving details, I’ll soon be flying to Kuwait, then to Europe where we’ll stop for a while, then to Ft. Benning, Georgia where I will out-process. My Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be unique and memorable as most of my journey home will literally and figuratively take place during the holidays.

As a new counselor still under supervision and still completing the initial hours for independent licensure, I already fully realize this “job” provides me with the most amazing opportunity in the world. Biased opinion? Yes. But it is one that is constantly reinforced by my experiences. Yalom and other greats in our field have suggested how powerful the therapeutic relationship of one human’s acceptance and support of another can be. After living 5 months in an Afghanistan combat zone and using this foundational premise, I’m here to say their wisdom is spot-on.

This past week I traveled outside of Bagram Airfield to help in the initial set up of Telebehavioral Health equipment in another area of the region. Each time I travel I’m reminded of just how different life is for Troops depending upon where they are sent and what they experience there. Upon hearing a client has been deployed to Afghanistan, for example, it’s so very important for counselors/therapists not to entertain personal perceptions/assumptions based off that fact. More information is needed in order to get a more accurate feel for what a Service Member has been through.

I will be spending my Thanksgiving on Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. This will be my second Thanksgiving in a row to be in an Army uniform working, away from my family—last year I was working night shift at the Pentagon. But don’t feel badly for me for a second, I love what I do and I asked to be here. That being said, I may be the exception to the rule. Since I can’t speak for anyone other than myself, I’ve asked a few friends here at Bagram Air Field to participate in my blog this week to share how they feel about being deployed during the holidays. These are not edited or filtered in anyway, just the first 3 people I asked.

I have currently been working on the 101st Airborne Division’s implementation of what is currently called Telebehavioral Health in this region of Afghanistan. TBH is also currently starting up in Iraq as well. This is just one way the 101st Airborne Division and the Army are addressing behavioral health needs of Troops—of all branches, not just Army—who are deployed to this theater of operation. This past week marked a historical milestone for behavioral health care, in my opinion, as I connected with a psychiatrist miles away so he could offer services to a client sitting in my office.