Nebraskaland

August-September 2019 • Nebraskaland 47 "You've got to be patient," she said. "You can't assume, 'Suck it up soldier, march on.' That may have saved them in Iraq, but they've got to come back to our civilization and the rules that helped them survive over in Iraq, you can't do that here." She is thankful Landon made it home. Many of the moms she met in support groups while he was deployed can't say that. "But he did come home," she said. "And the diff erence that I have seen in him since he's really gotten involved in Project Healing Waters, it just ... it does my heart so good because I see that he's got a future. He sees that. He can laugh again. He sees that there is a purpose to getting up in the morning and getting going and something to do that is worthwhile. "It has basically been a lifesaver for him." Fishing? A lifesaver? How many anglers could have imagined that? N Volunteer Gene Svensen of Lincoln helps Michael Porter, an Air Force veteran from Denver, unhook a bluegill he caught during a fishing outing at Conagra Lake in Heartland America Park in Omaha. Project Healing Waters hopes to one day serve 30,000 veterans. With 3 million disabled veterans in the United States, there are plenty of candidates. While some have physical disabilities, many more carry emotional scars of battle. More than 2.5 million Americans have served in the Global War on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere since the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 7,000 have been killed and 53,000 wounded. Studies estimate that as many as 41 percent of returning veterans suff er from some sort of mental disorder, including traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance abuse. These war-triggered mental health issues have been around as long as war has existed. An estimated 30 percent of 2.7 million soldiers who fought in Vietnam suff ered from PTSD at one point or another. More than 30 percent of soldiers sent home during World War II were discharged for psychiatric reasons. The issues have been referred to, among other things, as shell shock or battle fatigue. PTSD wasn't recognized as a disability by the military until 1980. Treatment has advanced, but there is no panacea. The implications can be tragic. Suicide rates are 1.5 times higher among veterans than the rest of society, and progress at a rate of more than 20 per day. They are highest among those who have served since 9/11. Project Healing Waters in 2018 • 219 programs nationwide • 8,307 disabled veterans served • 4, 001 volunteers spent 294,010 hours serving the program. 20 percent are former participants. • 4,902 fl y-tying classes • 1,214 rod building classes • 1,464 fl y-casting classes • 1,124 fl y-fi shing education classes • 1,605 fl y-fi shing outings • $0 cost to participants To learn more about the program or to fi nd out how to participate, volunteer or make a donation, visit projecthealingwaters.org.

• Cover