Traumatic Stress Response Team – Always on duty

  • Published
  • By Capt. Anthony C. Wilson, MSW
  • TSR, Team Chief
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Everyday disasters occur around the world. Sometimes tragedy occurs in our own back yard. No military base is exempt from disaster or tragedy. When disaster or tragedy strikes, those inflicted may experience difficulties in returning back to a sense of normalcy.

Malmstrom has had its fair share of tragedies and disaster. We have lost key personnel to suicide, and we have had accidents that have taken the lives of some very dedicated military service members.

How does a squadron, group or wing recover and refocus after experiencing such a loss. The wing commander and each squadron commander has access to a team of devoted professionals who are on stand-by, 24 hours a day to respond to any tragedy, disaster or death that occurs to our Air Force and civilian personnel assigned here. Our team of professionals support Malmstrom personnel to re-establish and build resilience. A death of an Airman has a ripple effect across a squadron and that rippling effect can be felt and spread throughout the entire wing.

The team that has been established on every base to help with such traumatic events is named the Traumatic Stress Response team. The team is composed of providers from the Mental Health Clinic, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, Chaplain's office, and many additional participants from other helping agencies. The goal of the team is to support the commander of the unit and the troops assigned who are coping with the traumatic experience that occurred. Take, for instance, the case at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, where the wing commander lost his life. This loss had a major impact on the members assigned to there. Today, Elmendorf Airmen complete their mission, despite the tragedy. They received assistance of the professionals on their TSR team.

A traumatic incident is any event outside the usual realm of the human experience triggered by a distressing natural or man-made incident, such as terrorism, war, hurricanes, earthquakes, shootings, fires, suicide/homicide and automobile accidents, just to name few. Usually these events involve threat or the perceived threat to one's physical being or that of someone else. Traumatic incidents are determined by how the event undermines a person's sense of safety, and security in the world. A person need not be directly involved to be adversely affected by a traumatic incident. Basically, the closer you are to the actual event and the people involved, the more severe the impact.

Traumatic events are unpredictable at times and over the decades we have come to understand how these events affect humans. Early research dates back to the Vietnam veterans in the late 60's and early 70's. Names such as shell shock, combat stress, battle fatigue, have been attributed over the years to this behavior. As a result of 9/11, our society has come to realize how a nation can be traumatized by witnessing horrific events.

Symptoms of traumatic impact may occur during and after the event. Even though the event may be over, the person may experience some strong physical, psychological and behavioral reactions to the traumatic event. No one is immune from these reactions. It simply indicates that a normal person is naturally responding to an abnormal situation. Symptoms can vary from individual to individual, and may include insomnia, nightmares, loss of appetite, restlessness, anger, vomiting and diarrhea. Some people will experience many symptoms while others will be fine without assistance. For many, the effect is quick and for others, symptoms may occur in weeks, months or even years later.

The aim of the TSR team is to assist members with resolve and determination to overcome the effects of a traumatic experience. Accepting the reality of the traumatic impact as well as providing help and support is of utmost importance. Fostering resilience is the goal of every TSR team. At Malmstrom, our eyes are focused on continually providing this very important service to our wing, group and squadron commanders, and the dedicated members of this base.