From our experience with past conflicts and seeing some of our closest friends suffer from stress syndromes following combat – we know first hand how important it is for all soldiers to be able to internalize, decompress and simply talk about what they saw. Getting things off their chest now will hopefully keep them from being haunted for years to come.

The Lone Soldier Center is planning gatherings for lone soldiers who have fought, been injured, and lost close friends in Gaza. These events will enable the Center’s staff to better understand, refer and provide additional professional help and resources for the many who will need it in the coming months and beyond.

The gatherings will be officially called “Appreciation Events” so that all of the soldiers will feel comfortable attending. The exact format of the evening will not be advertised, due to the stigmas that unfortunately still exist regarding reaching out for psychological assistance, inside and outside of the army framework.