Family Of a Vet - Real world info about PTSD, TBI, & life after combat.

If you know any Veterans and their Families that need help, then here is help.

Mission: to provide real world resources that help heroes and their loved ones survive & thrive in life after combat
"Family Of a Vet was started by the proud wife of an OIF Veteran who suffers from PTSD
(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Her family originally
planned to be "career" Army. They dearly loved the military, the people who make up its
family, and are passionate patriots. However, both her husband's personality changes
(later identified as PTSD & TBI) and some other injuries during his last deployment, caused
their family to make the hard choice to leave military life.

After five years of being involved in FRG's (Family Readiness Groups), AFTB (Army Family
little support is available for the families of veterans. Before her husband was diagnosed
with PTSD & TBI, their family was in a crisis and she didn't know where to find help or even
what to look for. Worse still was the fact that many other spouses of OIF or OEF veterans
were experiencing the same family problems and were also unable to find help.

Thankfully, after a lot of Internet searches, she stumbled on to a few resources. First,
information about the VA Vet Centers and then, the Vietnam Veteran Wives (VVW)
organization. Through them, she began to learn about PTSD, then about TBI, about the
affects of combat on families, and finally came to the conclusion that someone had to stand
up and start helping the thousands of "new" vet families being created by the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

As that original "one woman Army" began her crusade, she was soon joined by other
Veterans, loved ones, and caring individuals within the mental health community. What
started as a small project (and a website of less than 10 pages), is growing and adapting
daily to continue meeting the needs of our returning heroes and their families

Through it all, though, our mission and core belief remains the same. In order for Veterans
and their loved ones to survive and thrive after combat, they have to be given real-world,
worthwhile information and education so that they know not only what they're dealing with,
but how to deal with it!

Community Education Services

What is this all about?

The philosophy of Family Of a Vet is that real-world, plain language, "been there, done
that" education can make a world of difference in the lives of our nation's wounded
heroes and families. Our primary mission is to provide resources that help those heroes
and their loved ones learn how to survive and thrive after combat. Veterans, spouses,
parents, children, and other caregivers should NOT be destined for a lifetime of barely
surviving as a result of selfless, dedicated service. But, far too many are sadly headed
down that path because we as a nation are not doing enough to ensure that they know
how to successfully navigate the battlefields of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), TBI
(traumatic brain injury), and other post-combat issues.

Who can use the packets?

Our Community Education Packets are available for military family support groups,
community organizations, civic institutions, churches, government groups, and any other
entity interested in offering life-changing education to veterans and those who support
them (either as a direct part of their family or as part of their larger community).

What is included in the packets?

Our easy, READY TO USE electronic packets offer:

•Printable, detailed handouts that are specifically tailored to their target audience.

•Companion PowerPoint presentations.

•Scripts and notes for the presenter (so that anyone, regardless of public speaking
experience or familiarity with the topic, can comfortably and successfully present
the information).

•Printable fliers to announce the education event.

•Feedback forms.

What do the packets cost?

Some packets are free. Others are available for a nominal fee (typically between $25 -
$75 depending on the amount of content)."