I think every soldier would have their own journey, and some journeys would be blacker than others.
Yes, I totally agree that it's something that should be done during basic training. It should start then, at basic training. It shouldn't be just before they go. That's a little too late. It's something that should be incorporated into boot camp—that this is a part of being a soldier and this is what could happen.
The other thing is that I think there should be more out there for families, what to be aware of. It's sort of after the fact. I know that at the groups for parents that I attended through the MFRC, my one question, because I was then a seasoned mother of deployment, as I had been through one.... I brought up PTS—and we'll put the “D” on it—and I was told at the group by counsellors, “Oh no, we don't talk about that. We're not going to talk about that. We'll have that discussion a couple of weeks before your soldier comes home.”
Well, that's fine if your soldier is coming home to your house—it's still not fine, and you should be prepared—but with us parents of the regular force children...our children go to another base. We don't know until we get a call and we hear something over the phone. And trust me, you know when you hear over the phone that your soldier isn't well; you just know this.
But yes, I think it should start at boot camp, sir. I really do. I think it's something that's part of being a soldier, and I think it's something that should be taught early on.