Posted on Apr 25, 2020
Were you debriefed following combat operations or other traumatic event?
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What has been your experience with debriefing ? Is it standard operating procedure following combat missions or other trauma, to include sexual trauma? I have no idea what is considered a sufficiently traumatic experience to warrant debriefing. Perhaps I didn't see enough action or my experiences might not meet the threshold of when the need for debriefing is indicated.
Deployment
Combat
Mental Health
TBI
Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 22
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SSgt Richard Kensinger
As a clinical psychologist debriefing over time is critical given the high suicide rates of vets. Vets back to Korea still show some unresolved trauma. Those in Vietnam show a lot more, given this conflict is the most despised. detested and protested conflict ever.
I also see plenty of compacted grief and survivors guilt.
Rich
I also see plenty of compacted grief and survivors guilt.
Rich
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SGT Robert Pryor
SSgt Richard Kensinger - I certainly have unresolved issues. Things that I have never discussed with anyone and at this point refused to do so. I use humor to deal with most things, except death. There was nothing funny about someone laying down their life for that in which they believe, and that includes enemy combatants.
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I want to clarify. I had a traumatic event in May, 2009. I broke my ankle while in Afghanistan. After my leg was put in a splint, I was medevac by aircraft to Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis now called Joint Base Lewis McCord. I was interviewed by an intake worker( a former Army Chaplain) and asked if I felt like I wanted to kill myself. I was asked a bunch of questions. I was in a wounded warrior transition Battalion now. I saw a case worker periodically during my 3 months of convalescence. So, I wanted to update my answer.
SCPO Morris Ramsey Lt Col Charlie Brown CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 1SG Tommy McGee CH (CPT) James L. Machado Workman MSG Francisco Ojeda MSG Francisco Ojeda GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Robert Pryor
SCPO Morris Ramsey Lt Col Charlie Brown CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 1SG Tommy McGee CH (CPT) James L. Machado Workman MSG Francisco Ojeda MSG Francisco Ojeda GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Robert Pryor
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LTC Stephen Conway
MSG Francisco Ojeda - I did a full recovery. I just could not go to airborne school(I was in a Civil Affairs unit transitioning to Airborne) I was a CPT then. I did a 300 on my APFT in 2012. I work as a delivery driver for UPS and my ankle is fine. I am 57 years old now. I got a 299 on my APFT last fall. No issues now. The VFW rep said it would go arthritic and it never did. I am 10% disabled but it is not obvious. Aside from the scar and the metal plates and screws as the 6 dollar home depot man, I forget most of the time I was injured. I got my 20 year letter a few years back and I am going to retire in October of 2021.
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I wasn't in combat so I can't speak to that, but we did debrief after every deployment
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SGT Robert Pryor
Lt Col Charlie Brown, certainly combat is not the only trauma one can experience in the military, but probably the easiest to identify. I saw two fellow SFers encounter snakes on FTXs in North Carolina. Talk about traumatic experiences! One guy actually froze he was so traumatized.
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During my tour in Vietnam when you came back to the Firebase or larger compound,the LT and Platoon Sergeants usually reported to Headquarters,the rest of us got our two cans of warm beer/soda and tried to get into the showers and stay away from the chicken sh*t details the Army is famous for!
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Sgt (Join to see)
SGT Philip Roncari The same with the Marine Corps. In the bush, you wanted to be back at the combat base, and after a few days back at the combat base, the bush was where you wanted to be. I only had to burn the shitters one time, but that is one nasty job. I filled many a sandbag which was not too bad.
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SGT Philip Roncari
SGT Theodore M.Hallock -Shortly after arriving in Vietnam our unit was tasked with extended operations in the Central Highlands,so most of our respites from these operations were in the smaller fire bases,occasionally we got a rest in the larger bases,that’s where the keep them busy details occurred,KP,shi*t burning,painting rocks,sand bags etc luckily we managed to avoid most of these,the time in the “Bush” was a great teacher!
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SPC Kurt Hesselden
SGT Philip Roncari - Firebase perimeter defense assignment was pretty cushy and except for setting LP's and ambush patrols almost like a rest. After a few weeks of S&D insertions/extractions with 10k humps between LZ's, Just setting in one spot for a couple of days seemed like heaven. I only saw the BMB at Bien Hoa one time from Feb. thru May 68 and pretty well forgot it existed.
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SGT Philip Roncari
SPC Kurt Hesselden- As I had mentioned my unit /Battalion usually worked two companies out in boonies with one being in rotation at a fire base,luckily the firebase s only required perimeter defense and some local day patrolling beyond the wire,three to five days were our limit then back out running those stinking hills.
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I don't recall ever being debriefed, bout the only relaxation we ever got was about once every 6 to 7 months they would put us in a compound called stack arms, take our weapons from us and give us all the beer we could drink, does that count as debriefing?
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SGT Robert Pryor
Maybe in the Corps, GySgt Thomas Vick, debriefing means taking the time to enjoy your beer, instead of being brief.
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I was debriefed for some day to day Operations and engagements and not others that were more intense.
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1SG Tommy McGee
GySgt Thomas Vick Even though y’all were not praised and brought home to parades, those of us that followed respect and see y’all as hero’s and warriors.
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SGT Robert Pryor
GySgt Thomas Vick - I have no expertise in such matters, but I would think the feeling of being cannon fodder would be an issue where debriefing would be indicated.
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SGT Robert Pryor We never received any debriefing. We did have two in country R&Rs after long operations. We went to a compound on the beach at China Beach. We turned in our weapons as other Marines were guarding us. We were issued new jungle utilities and for 48 hours we had all the beer and sodas that we wanted to drink. They had hot hogs and hamburgers and they showed a movie each night on a plywood screen with logs for benches. We were ragged and exhausted and this was a welcome relief. Leaving Vietnam, we went to Okinawa for three or four days to pick up the gear we had left there and get cleaned up. I know we had briefings but I don't remember much about them other than they mentioned we might encounter protestors when we returned to the states, which we did.
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SSgt Richard Kensinger
Thank you very much for serving there. And I'm glad you returned home alive, as many of your comrades did not (about 60,000).
Rich
Rich
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Sgt (Join to see)
SSgt Richard Kensinger - Thank you Richard. My best friend was killed the day after I left country. When I arrived at the combat base, a Gunnery Sergeant briefed us on how to survive and manage. I only remember two things that he said. He told us to forget about home and focus on the mission. He also told us to not make close friends but that is impossible when you are going through shared misery.
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SGT Robert Pryor - Absolutely. It is easier to endure when their are others sharing it with you.
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SGT Robert Pryor The “war experiences” of a friend who jumped with the 101st on D-Day were limited to “I was debriefed”. That is all he ever said about going to Europe.
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SGT Robert Pryor
CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025, I'd have given anything to have made a combat jump. I had a friend, COL Lee Wilson, who made three combat jumps in Viet Nam. I've heard guys talk about having hundreds, maybe even thousands of jumps. But to me, Lee has more jumps than they do -- with his three -- if they never made a combat jump. I heard there were guys with four or five combat jumps in WWII.
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SSgt Richard Kensinger
Based on my own clinical research, the very vast majority of the Greatest Generation did not talk about combat at all. They were so relieved and determined to quickly rebuild their lives after having lost on average 3 years.
Rich
Rich
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We were never debriefed during my entire time in Vietnam. I flew A4E Skyhawks and any debrief was just a discussion about the mission with your wingman while walking back from the flight line. We had three pilots shot down and lost while I was with the squadron and we continued flight ops like nothing ever happened. They did show us where the pilots were shot down and basically said "good luck"
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SGT Robert Pryor
I would say you had a chain of command, SSG David Angell, that made sure everything was done appropriately.
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SSG David Angell
Thanks..Even if we had an uneventful assignment, the AAR was always there. It served 2 purposes.
1) To find out if anything happened.
2) Regardless if anything happened, there was always the question. Is there or was there anything we could do to improve it.
1) To find out if anything happened.
2) Regardless if anything happened, there was always the question. Is there or was there anything we could do to improve it.
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