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American Morning

Soldiers' Stress

Aired September 26, 2003 - 09:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon is trying to boost the morale of soldiers, who will have to go back to Iraq to complete their 12-month tours of duty. Returning from the battlefield can, of course, be stressful. And the troops coming home today know how soon they'll be going back to the action.
Shelly MacDermid, codirector of the Military Family Research Institute joins us now from West Lafayette, Indiana.

Welcome.

SHELLY MACDERMID, MILITARY FAMILY RESEARCH INST.: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You know, the troops are over there for longer than they expected. They get to come home for two weeks, and then they have to go right back. That has to be hard on them.

MACDERMID: Yes, I was trying to think of an analogy yesterday, and the best one I could think of is, when you're a kid and you're allowed to get into your parents' bed during the middle of a thunderstorm, but you're only allowed to stay 10 minutes. It's so great when you get there, but boy, it must be hard to leave.

COSTELLO: Would it be better for them to have not come home at all for such a short period of time?

MACDERMID: Oh, I would always find it really hard to argue that families should spend more time apart. I think that there will be lots of good things that happen during this two weeks, and I would hate to suggest that they not have it.

COSTELLO: So what do you do first if you're a soldier coming home for two weeks, and then, you know, knowing you have to go back?

MACDERMID: Well, I think one thing that you should do is not try to re-establish some kind of normal during such a short time. It's so compressed. I think this is a time to replenish. This isn't a time to rehash old issues, or try to take care of all kinds of business or make important decisions. This is a time to try to replenish.

COSTELLO: So nothing heavy. It's got to be hard on the family, as well, because many of these men and women have young children. What do they tell their kids?

MACDERMID: Well, kids who are real young don't really understand time very well. So it's going to be pretty hard to explain to them, and they're just going to have to deal with it as it happens. Older kids, I think, understand something like a spring break, or a vacation, and it doesn't make it easier. But it allows them to understand it.

COSTELLO: Of course the military is doing this to boost morale of the troops. Will it work?

MACDERMID: I'm a little concerned about that. It's been very hard for soldiers to face the unpredictability of how long they're away for, and I think it's been very hard for their families. And I hope that it works.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, just the fact that being military personnel, they're really not allowed to vent publicly. That's got to be hard, as well.

MACDERMID: I think it is hard, although there are forums. There are certainly lots of chat rooms and support groups, places that military families can go to talk with each other, and they do have some outlets, at least, to be able to share their concerns and try to get help.

COSTELLO: We hope so. Shelly MacDermid, thanks for joining us live on AMERICAN MORNING this morning.

MACDERMID: You're very welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 26, 2003 - 09:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon is trying to boost the morale of soldiers, who will have to go back to Iraq to complete their 12-month tours of duty. Returning from the battlefield can, of course, be stressful. And the troops coming home today know how soon they'll be going back to the action.
Shelly MacDermid, codirector of the Military Family Research Institute joins us now from West Lafayette, Indiana.

Welcome.

SHELLY MACDERMID, MILITARY FAMILY RESEARCH INST.: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You know, the troops are over there for longer than they expected. They get to come home for two weeks, and then they have to go right back. That has to be hard on them.

MACDERMID: Yes, I was trying to think of an analogy yesterday, and the best one I could think of is, when you're a kid and you're allowed to get into your parents' bed during the middle of a thunderstorm, but you're only allowed to stay 10 minutes. It's so great when you get there, but boy, it must be hard to leave.

COSTELLO: Would it be better for them to have not come home at all for such a short period of time?

MACDERMID: Oh, I would always find it really hard to argue that families should spend more time apart. I think that there will be lots of good things that happen during this two weeks, and I would hate to suggest that they not have it.

COSTELLO: So what do you do first if you're a soldier coming home for two weeks, and then, you know, knowing you have to go back?

MACDERMID: Well, I think one thing that you should do is not try to re-establish some kind of normal during such a short time. It's so compressed. I think this is a time to replenish. This isn't a time to rehash old issues, or try to take care of all kinds of business or make important decisions. This is a time to try to replenish.

COSTELLO: So nothing heavy. It's got to be hard on the family, as well, because many of these men and women have young children. What do they tell their kids?

MACDERMID: Well, kids who are real young don't really understand time very well. So it's going to be pretty hard to explain to them, and they're just going to have to deal with it as it happens. Older kids, I think, understand something like a spring break, or a vacation, and it doesn't make it easier. But it allows them to understand it.

COSTELLO: Of course the military is doing this to boost morale of the troops. Will it work?

MACDERMID: I'm a little concerned about that. It's been very hard for soldiers to face the unpredictability of how long they're away for, and I think it's been very hard for their families. And I hope that it works.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, just the fact that being military personnel, they're really not allowed to vent publicly. That's got to be hard, as well.

MACDERMID: I think it is hard, although there are forums. There are certainly lots of chat rooms and support groups, places that military families can go to talk with each other, and they do have some outlets, at least, to be able to share their concerns and try to get help.

COSTELLO: We hope so. Shelly MacDermid, thanks for joining us live on AMERICAN MORNING this morning.

MACDERMID: You're very welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com