Much of the news today is focused on the post-active duty veteran, the reality is, is that veterans are also members of the Active Duty force. Often support for these individuals is taken for granted as being part of the Active Duty system of support and services. However, many of the issues faced by the Active Duty veteran are not the same as the veteran struggling to adjust once the ID card has been turned in and combat boots have been traded for work boots. This is where the organization known as afterdeployment appears to be making a stand.

Armed with a congressional mandate, this collaboration between the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration developed afterdeploymentto consider and address all angles of what transpires when the Service Member returns home. What does this mean for the Service Member? The families? Even though the site is open to anyone, only members who register on the site will have full access to all of the resources designed to tackle this sensitive and complex issue.

This is no small feat as there are many complex issues to deal with when attempting to adjust to life outside of a combat zone or an extended period away from friends and families. Looking through the menu along provide an extensive list of items that the site is providing resources for.

Adjusting to War Memories Dealing with Depression Handling Stress Improving Relationships Succeeding at Work Overcoming Anger Sleeping Better Controlling Alcohol and Drugs Helping Kids Deal with Deployment Seeking Spiritual Fitness Living with Physical Injuries Balancing Your Life

All very valid topics to address and is handled in the unique format of Self-Help. There is also a section where stories are shared. Most of these would sound familiar to the Veteran who is taking advantage of many of the services offered by the VA in a face-to-face environment. The site may become more valuable to those individuals located in areas far from the resources available to the veteran in a more metropolitan location where regional offices and medical centers exist with programs specifically designed to tackle these same issues.

I am not sure how far this service will go, I will say however, that until people actively begin to take advantage of it, will the services and resources within grow and provide more assistance with life after deployment both for the Active Duty Service member and the veteran released from active duty.