A Marine’s perspective is changed
From Bagdad to America
By Patty Brooks
When I first heard of Lt. Colonel Jay Kopelman, a retired Marine, I wondered how he would be different from the other
Marines that I had recently befriended. Kopelman, as the others, had also served in Iraq and had a canine friend to share his experience. What I quickly learned is that he was the author of a best selling book that was published in 2006, “From Bagdad With Love.” The book is about his relationship with Lava, an Iraq dog whose life was spared, thanks to Kopelman. It’s also about their amazing bond and how they relied on each other to make it through a life jarring experience. Kopelman says the book had broad appeal to animal people.
Kopelman, who now resides in La Jolla, Calif. with his wife, son and stepson, met with me recently to discuss his latest book, “From Baghdad to America – Life Lessons From a Dog Named Lava.” Lava didn’t accompany Kopelman the day of the interview. However, I had met Lava at a previous event. Lava has a similar look to another Iraq dog, Nubs, who arrived in San Diego early this year.
He said his latest book was a testament to his acceptance of his own emotions and feelings. It’s about his desire and willingness to analyze and assess himself, his attitude, temperament and personality after returning from Iraq. He admits feeling odd at times, out of sync, not together.
While this was happening, Kopelman was also noticing Lava’s struggles with mood swings, sensitivity to loud noises, increased irritability, a tendency to behave aggressively, and always on alert mode, looking for danger. With the assistance of Lava’s trainer, Graham Bloem, they determined Lava had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). With this realization, Kopelman started to see Lava as a possible mirror for himself. Was he also experiencing the same? And, what could he do to change this scenario?
What made it difficult for Kopelman, as with other Marines, was admitting that he wasn’t untouchable. Marines are supposed to be tough. Marines don’t feel uncontrollable emotions. Marines “work it out.” Yet, do they really?
Marines are human, as are the other military personnel in Iraq who, almost on a daily basis, are dealing with some obvious dramatic and traumatic life experiences. These experiences can lead to war wounds that aren’t visible to the human eye.Yet, they can be devastating.
After deciding he needed to learn more about PTSD, Kopelman found some startling statistics. He learned that two “signature injuries” from Iraq are PTSD and traumatic brain injury. He learned that 38 percent of Army personnel, 31 percent of Marines, and 49 percent of National Guard members reported mental health symptoms. He also learned that alcohol abuse, divorce, depression, and suicide are higher than ever before for troops returning from Iraq.
When asked what he hopes this book will provide, Kopelman says he hopes to “remove the stigma and make it acceptable to talk about mental health needs.” He believes that there are lots of military personnel wanting to talk about and share their feelings. Yet, the system doesn’t yet have the resources and means to support this need. “Legislator needs to commit resources to this effort, mental health assistance, or the outcome can be devastating.”
With this comment, Kopelman referred to the 30-40,000 American veterans of the Afghanistan War who have substance abuse problems. He also referred to a Rand study that projects upward of 300,000 American military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from PTSD. The numbers are staggering.
Kopelman wants the general public and military personnel to know that this is fixable. With the knowledge and commitment to assist PTSD victims, the outcome can be advantageous. He wants military leadership to admit and enforce the need for mental health assistance.
What has Kopelman done to regain control of his life and mental wellbeing? He thanks Lava for being an outlet, helping him to relax. He thanks his family for being supportive, helpful and understanding. He also relies on other outlets, including racing bicycles, surfing and skiing to free his energy and stay focused.
“I’ve reassimilated back into real life. I want other military personnel to have the same opportunity.” This book, “From Baghdad to America – Life Lessons From a Dog Named Lava.” is as much for them as it is for Jay Kopelman. To learn more about the book and where it can be purchased, visit www.skyhorsepublishing.com.
|
