To our veterans

11/11/20

To our veterans:

Since I have been in the United States of America I often hear that people say to our veterans: “Thank you for your service”

I see the recognition and gratitude in these words. In addition, I want to say to you today: “I see you, I see the tremendous sacrifices that come with a career in the military”

As a therapist and as a resident of San Diego County, one of the biggest Naval communities, I hear often about the impact that military life has on service members, veterans and their families.

As a therapist I hear about the emotional impact that comes with being part of the military. I hear about the solitude that comes with leaving your family behind when you are deployed. I hear often about the stress of having several “bosses” to report to. I hear about how you need to detach from your emotions in order to be able to keep up with the pace and demands in the military. I hear about the stress that marriages are put into when deployments, trainings and moving times come. I hear about how you have to be away from your family during important or critical times, such as when your babies are born, holidays, when there is a family crisis or an accident. I hear about how families need to leave communities that they have bonded with and have to start again over and over.

I hear about the trauma that you go through. I see how your service comes at a cost. As a therapist, I see the great impact that a military career has on your mental health.

Before the end of this day I wanted to say, thank you for your service, I see the tremendous sacrifices you make.

Eunice A Palacios Ramírez, LMFT

P.S. My grandfather on the right, he served in the Mexican Navy.