The Invisible Wounds of War: An Ethnographic Investigation of Yup'ik combat veterans' problematic reintegrations into communities in southwestern Alaska

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This research study is to understand how Yup'ik veterans from villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of southwestern Alaska who face significant problems of access to services reintegrate into communities with the accompanying stresses of combat, that are only partially visible. This project is an ethnographic investigation with three key objectives: First, to grasp the human and social consequences of war on the lives of those Yup'ik community members who have served in combat in the US military. The study examines the multidimensional aspects of reintegration of Yup'ik solders into their communities from three eras; the Vietnam War, the First Gulf War, and the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secondly, the study explores how individual soldiers as well as their families make sense of, give meaning to, and cope with the partially visible wounds of war in their daily lives in the aftermath of combat. As such the investigator will explore the impact, both positively and negatively, of external forces and internal disruptive pressures on people's everyday lives and livelihoods and how these processes are understood. Thirdly, to gain an understanding under what circumstances Native veterans may or may not choose to seek help for their battle trauma; when and why do they choose to "go it alone" or to actively participate in medical care. In the context of this planned ethnographic research the investigator will explore to what extent and under what conditions kinship, community, and culture can be helpful in healing and contributing to successful reentry as these outcomes are reported by veterans, their families and their community. The central concern of this proposed research is to gain a long-term historical perspective on how people manage psychological and social trauma. As such this study focuses on how soldiers cope with coming home from combat -- from Vietnam to the present -- and places their experiences within a social milieu, one, like many aboriginal communities from Australia to the Circumpolar North struggle with devastating rates of suicide, interpersonal violence and substance abuse. The need for this research is pronounced. In the absence of substantial VA interventions in the researcher's perspective what is crucial is to investigate the kinds of issues families and communities face as they try to help in the reintegration process of veterans. Importantly, this study will contribute to an understanding of the kinds of problems Native veterans are facing, the effects on kin and families and the panoply of coping strategies that are utilized by communities. The data produced by this project will help community residents and leaders, as well as social service organizations responsible for assisting them to better understand the social needs that are crucial in helping veterans, kin and communities cope with this added layer of social stress, loss and trauma. Moreover this study by design includes Alaska Native residents/under-represented groups in the research planning and data collection process - including the innovative community-based Elders Advisory Councils. While the research will produce academic articles and a monograph, the findings will also be presented at scientific meetings and conferences. The summaries of the research will also be presented to local indigenous associations in Alaska, particularly in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, village tribal councils, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Veterans Administration in Bethel and Anchorage, The Alaskan Tribal Health Consortium. And in keeping with the Principles for the Conduct of Research in the Arctic the Principle Investigator will return to each village for public presentations of the research findings.