“You’re not there. So of course, it’s missing your families, not being with your friends. The unknown of what could happen, may happen, what hopefully doesn’t happen. Some of them have fear, some of them have anger,” said Glen Cooper, a Purple Heart Recipient … who have served or are currently serving facing. “A lot of it will have to do with who got lost… who did not make it home. And a lot of that is what could I have done differently so they could be here still,” he tells News5. I also sat down with Damian McCabe, who is the Director of Behavioral Health at UCHealth and the Next Chapter Veteran Suicide Program. He explains how veterans process the holidays differently from those in other career paths. “The community sees this as a happy time, as a … celebratory time… and veterans are really good at putting on a facade and are really good at putting on a face. So it’s very possible for military and veterans to celebrate without others knowing that behind that facade, they are engaged in remembrance and saddened maybe because of a loss,” said McCabe. The biggest thing: staying in touch with those close to you.
How veterans can navigate struggles during the holiday season
