Tried Precepts for Post-Combat Resilience

Sept. 19, 2012 | By Arie Church

Tried Precepts for Post-Combat Resilience: Moral character, faith in God, and love for one’s comrades and family are common threads that pulled World War II airmen through combat trauma, giving a lesson in “resiliency” today, said Glenn Schiraldi, former mental health program developer at the Pentagon. “Resilience are those inner strengths of mind and character, both inboard and able to be developed that promote recovery” from all the traumas our airmen face today, Schiraldi explained at AFA’s Air & Space Conference on Wednesday. Shiraldi interviewed and analyzed World War II veterans looking for ways to prevent post-traumatic disorders and suicide before they occur. By and large, World War II veterans “weathered the storms and returned to live productive lives,” said Shiraldi. Resilience is essentially “people under pressure, at their best. … It is developed of confidence that is born of hard-work,” he summed.

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