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UNDERSTANDING MILITARY

CULTURE

Core Competencies for Working With Veterans

What is the Green Zone?

The term "Green Zone" referred to the International Zone of Baghdad.

  • 10 sq. km area in central Baghdad
  • Originally the seat of Saddam Hussein's power
  • Held the Republican Palace and Ba'th Party HQs
  • Heavily fortified- surrounded by concrete T-walls
  • Controlled access by US Forces

The Green Zone

The Green Zone

The need...

With the advent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, colleges and universities have seen significant growth in the number of Veterans on their campuses.

Along with the increased population growth has come a recognition that while these students share many of the same struggles as other students, ......

The need...

.....their service in the military- often in a combat environment- can make them feel isolated and uncertain in the academic setting. Additionally, wounds of war that are experienced by some students, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and physical injuries, can make the adjustment even more difficult.

The Program

  • Designed to provide a "safe" or "understanding" zone for Veterans
  • Knowledgeable and supportive contacts throughout the institution
  • Create a real "Vet-friendly" environment
  • Result in a positive effect on the success of military students

Who?

The Green Zone is guided by 3 requirements for all participants:

  • willingness to work with military students needing assistance
  • attendance at a training session
  • agreement to acknowledge they are military student-friendly

Key component

  • volunteers have basic knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced by student Veterans

Green Zone Ally

The designation as Green Zone Ally:

  • OTC staff and faculty who:
  • is aware of issues and concerns faced by Veteran students
  • is available to assist the student
  • has completed Green Zone training
  • Does NOT require:
  • an expert to "solve" problems
  • Does require:
  • a sympathetic ear
  • the ability to help student find appropriate resources for problem resolution

Why Know About Military Culture?

Why Know About Military Culture

The ability to understand and appreciate the military culture and to tailor higher education practices based on that understanding and appreciation is imperative for educators working with Veterans.

"But I fear they do not know us. I fear they do not comprehend t...

"But I fear they do not know us. I fear they do not comprehend the full weight of the burden we carry or the price we pay when we return from battle. This is important, because a people uninformed about what they are asking the military to endure is a people inevitably unable to fully grasp the scope of the responsibilities our Constitution levies upon them...We must help them understand, our fellow citizens who so desperately want to help us."

ADM Michael Mullen,

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Military Academy,

West Point, NY,

Saturday, May 21, 2011.

The Military Culture Iceberg

The Military Culture Iceberg

Above the Waterline

Above the waterline are aspects of a culture that are explicit, visible, and easily taught. Some of what identifies men and women of the military are readily apparent or above the waterline: uniforms, medals, salutes, ranks, and ceremonies.

The Military Culture Iceberg

At the Waterline

At the waterline is a transition zone where the observer has to be more alert, the area where implicit understanding becomes talked about and where ethos is codified into creed. This level of military culture includes the Service Creeds, the core values, and the oath of office.

The Military Culture Iceberg

Below the Waterline

Some of what identifies Service Members and Veterans as belonging to the military culture is not readily apparent and exists below the waterline. This level includes the hidden aspects of culture that are not taught directly: discipline, teamwork, self-sacrifice, fighting spririt, loyalty, warrior values, warrior beliefs, warrior ethos.

SELF-AWARENESS

SELF-AWARENESS

An important component of working with any culture is to understand your own biases, expectations, and beliefs about members of a cultural community. In working with Veterans you should understand your own beliefs and biases in the following areas:

  • Beliefs about the military and military members & families
  • Beliefs about war & National Security
  • Social views
  • How I welcome Service members & Veterans

Beliefs about the military and military members & families

I think military service is a good thing.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Military families have to deal with great suffering.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

There are not enough services provided to military family members.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

While most people do not hold globally negative or positive views of the military or Service members many have specific misconceptions that may be applied globally. It is important to understand the beliefs and views that you hold regarding the military and Service members, prior to engaging in a school relationship. Realizing how you responded to these questions will help you understand how your own beliefs and attitudes might impact the care that you provide.

Beliefs about war & National Security

Regardless of whether war is justifiable, I do not want to support the military in my capacity as an educator.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

War is justifiable if it stops an otherwise unstoppable aggressor while inflicting minimal damage to persons and property..

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

I am opposed to war and believe that there is a peaceful way to resolve any crisis.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Many long-standing and complex ethical challenges surround war and war fighting. By joining the military, Service members agree to do whatever is necessary to fulfill the terms of their service. In recent times, that service has included becoming a war fighter. Observers sometimes debate what constitutes a just war or even whether war can be morally justified. For the Service member deployed to a war zone, what constitutes a moral judgment for others is a split-second life-and-death decision that may impact the mission or the lives of other Service members and must be made with little time to think through alternatives and no hope of a do-over. Being aware of your attitudes and beliefs and able to maintain neutrality is the most likely to be helpful to the Service member.

Social views

People who like or are comfortable around firearms are inherently dangerous.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

People who go into service or law enforcement are patriotic.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Only poor people joing the military as a career.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

While it may seem like an obvious point, your social views can and do impact what you consider problematic and what you think will help solve a problem. Understanding how your theoretical orientation is in part derived from your social views (i.e., your view of the world and of others in it) and evaluating how that may play out with your students is essential in providing culturally competent instruction.

How I welcome Service members & Veterans

I have no way of knowing which of my students are Veterans.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Asking about someone's military service is intrusive.

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

I wouldn't know how to respond if a Veteran said, "You can't help because you've never been there."

Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree

Asking about military service can be essential in providing culturally competent instruction. It is important to note, however, that military deployments can be defining experiences in the lives of Service members and Veterans, whether they were to war zones, or to third-world countries in need of humanitarian aid. Learning to empathically ask about these experiences is fundamental to military cultural competence.

Summary: Self-Awareness

The military, like other cultures, has been stereotyped in many ways, both positive and negative. Culturally competent educators examine their assumptions and stereotypes about the military on an ongoing basis and develop the knowledge and skills needed to ensure their biases do not adversely impact instruction.

As an educator, it is important for you to:

•Attempt to be aware of your own beliefs and values.

•Strive to see Service members and Veterans and their experiences through an unbiased lens.

•Ensure that your beliefs and values do not negatively affect your ability to demonstrate respect and understanding of the Service member or Veteran's worldview.

Military Ethos

All five U.S. military branches subscribe to core features of the military ethos. To support their unique missions & traditions, each branch goes beyond generic military values to define their own service-specific ethos.

Military Culture

U.S. Army

Ethos:

  • I will always place the mission first.
  • I will never accept defeat.
  • I will never quit.
  • I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Core Values:

  • Loyalty
  • Duty
  • Respect
  • Selfless Service
  • Honor
  • Integrity
  • Personal Courage

U.S. Navy

Ethos:

We are...our nation's sea power...

  • We are professional Sailors and civilians.
  • Integrity...respect...decisive leadership is crucial to our success.
  • We are a team, disciplined & well-prepared.
  • We are patriots, forged by the Navy's core values.
  • We defend our nation and prevail in the face of adversity with strength, determination, and dignity.

Core Values:

  • Honor
  • Courage
  • Commitment

U.S. Air Force

Ethos:

The foundation of what it means to be an Airman. It takes a strong mind, body, and spirit to be an Air Force warrior. The Air Force warrior demonstrates a moral and physical courage, placing service before self, answering the nation's call, and being faithful to a tradition of honor and a legacy of Valor. An Air Force warrior defends the country with his life. We never leave an Airman behind; we never falter; we never fail.

Core Values:

  • Integrity first
  • Service before self
  • Excellence in all we do

U.S. Marine Corps

Ethos:

Marines fight and win- that's what we do; that's who we are. To be a Marine is to do what is right in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Core Values:

  • Honor
  • Courage
  • Commitment

U.S. Coast Guard

Ethos:

I am America's Maritime Guardian.

  • I serve the citizens of the United States. I will protect them.
  • I will defend them.
  • I am their shield.
  • For them, I am Semper Paratus (Always Prepared).
  • I live the Coast Guard values.
  • I am a guardian.

Core Values:

  • Honor
  • Respect
  • Devotion to duty

Warrior Ethos

Warrior Ethos

Cultural competency includes an understanding of different facets of military service. Having an awareness and understanding of support, protector, and warrior roles helps you more effectively inquire about the range of experiences many service members and Veterans have had.

  • They may have served in combat roles or in support roles, such as administration, logistics, or healthcare.
  • As deployment missions vary, roles and experiences may vary. For instance, serving in humanitarian assistance missions may be more likely to invoke protection values than combat values.
  • Especially in the current era of complex counterinsurgency warfare, all service members must continuously balance the protection of life against the winning of armed conflicts. For instance, many who served in Iraq had frequent contact with children, who may have become a source of loss or moral injury.

Military Ethos is Indespensible

Military Ethos is Indespensible

Through training, indoctrination, example, and experience, service members are exposed to the military ethos in subtle and direct ways. Military ethos serves to:

  • Emphasize the importance of teamwork.
  • The mortar of military operations
  • Reinforced from basic training and beyond
  • Band of Brothers
  • Infuse in each service member a moral focus including the ability to make ethical decisions in situations that are morally ambiguous.
  • Instill a deep and enduring sense of loyalty and commitment to fellow service members.

Acquiring Military Ethos

Acquiring Military Ethos

All of the military branches use various methods to instill miltary ethos in its service members.

  • Oaths of Enlistment or Commissioning- a first step
  • Includes the words, "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
  • Written service branch core values- reinforced at all levels
  • Written creeds- continued instilling of military ethos
  • Incorporate values in all training
  • Reward behaviors consistent with values and ideals
  • Decorations for valor, outstanding performance
  • Punishing violations of codes of behavior
  • Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

Impact

CONCLUSION

Trends have been indentified regarding barriers to help-seeking. Veterans may:

  • lack confidence in those outside the military culture
  • be reluctant to self-report
  • percieve a stigma of weakness when dealing with stress problems

Remember...

Remember...

Military ethos can affect help-seeking Veterans.

  • Military service members hold themselves to high standards
  • They may be vulnerable to inner conflict for failing to live up to ideals
  • Emotional battle within
  • Shame vs. Honor- sometimes no middle ground
  • Manifest in anger or distrust

Cultural Awareness Pitfalls

Cultural Awareness Pitfalls

Cultural competency will help you avoid many of the most common pitfalls in communicating with Veterans.

The Mis-Labeler

(To a Marine) "Hey Soldier. I mean Marine."

Bad Comparisons

(To a Soldier) "It's not as hard as how the Marines have to train, right?"

Jargon Problems

"Oh dark thirty....what's that?"

"Um....Bravo Zulu to you, too."

False Connection

"No, I've never been in the military, but I have seen a lot of movies about war."

"I know I'm not a Veteran, but fundamentally, aren't we all just the same people on the inside?"

"I know you were Army, but I think I understand- my Dad was in the Navy"

Where'd You Hear That?

"I've heard it's a lot easier to be over there now than it was 5 years ago."

The Dismisser

"No, no, you don't have to tell me. I've heard all about it."

Really?

"No, I've never seen a training exercise, but I can imagine what it's like."

Didn't Do My Homework

"So, does that mean you were enlisted?"

Bad Assumptions

"But wouldn't you RATHER be discharged than have to go back over there?"

"You've been deployed? That must have sucked."

"You've been deployed? That must have been great."

That Word....

"You've been deployed? You're a HERO!"

No You Don't...

"I understand completely."

"I completely understand what you're talking about."

Did You Really Go There?

"I'm not sure why you feel so guilty. It doesn't make sense."

The "Expert"

"I think I know PTSD. I've been around a lot of car accident victims."

" Most people who go over there come back with PTSD."

You're Dumber Than I Thought

"You know what I think? I think the military broke you."

The Pusher

"I cant' help you if you don't open up more."

"How can you move forward if you don't try harder?"

Develop Competency

Develop Competency

Self-awareness (recognize personal assumtions, values, & biases)

  • Convey care, understanding, and respect

Ask culturally informed questions

  • Assess and understand the Veteran's worldview

Incorporate culturally informed principles

  • Provide informed support and advice
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