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The term "Green Zone" referred to the International Zone of Baghdad.
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, ......
.....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 Green Zone is guided by 3 requirements for all participants:
Key component
The designation as Green Zone Ally:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ethos:
Core Values:
Ethos:
We are...our nation's sea power...
Core Values:
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:
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:
Ethos:
I am America's Maritime Guardian.
Core Values:
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.
Through training, indoctrination, example, and experience, service members are exposed to the military ethos in subtle and direct ways. Military ethos serves to:
All of the military branches use various methods to instill miltary ethos in its service members.
Trends have been indentified regarding barriers to help-seeking. Veterans may:
Military ethos can affect help-seeking Veterans.
Cultural competency will help you avoid many of the most common pitfalls in communicating with Veterans.
(To a Marine) "Hey Soldier. I mean Marine."
(To a Soldier) "It's not as hard as how the Marines have to train, right?"
"Oh dark thirty....what's that?"
"Um....Bravo Zulu to you, too."
"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"
"I've heard it's a lot easier to be over there now than it was 5 years ago."
"No, no, you don't have to tell me. I've heard all about it."
"No, I've never seen a training exercise, but I can imagine what it's like."
"So, does that mean you were enlisted?"
"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."
"You've been deployed? You're a HERO!"
"I understand completely."
"I completely understand what you're talking about."
"I'm not sure why you feel so guilty. It doesn't make sense."
"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 know what I think? I think the military broke you."
"I cant' help you if you don't open up more."
"How can you move forward if you don't try harder?"
Self-awareness (recognize personal assumtions, values, & biases)
Ask culturally informed questions
Incorporate culturally informed principles