Aging Veterans and a Silver Lining of Service

Traben Pleasant; Sarah Ono; Sarah Gothard; Rachel Wall; Lisa Silbert

doi:10.21061/jvs.v9i3.495

Aging Veterans and a Silver Lining of Service

Journal of Veterans Studies

Volume 9 (2023): Issue 3

By: Traben Pleasant , Sarah Ono, Sarah Gothard, Rachel Wall and Lisa Silbert

Open Access

|Dec 2023

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore aging veteran’s military experiences, including serving in conflicts or wars and their military-related health issues, with a focus on the impacts of their experiences on the aging process. A cohort of 48 Pacific Northwest, primarily rural, Vietnam-era veterans responded to a survey questionnaire emailed in 2021. The main survey question addressed in this article is, “Do you believe that your military experience has made aging more difficult?” Fifty percent of this cohort served in a conflict or war, mostly in Vietnam, and 68% reported having military-related health issues. We used veterans’ survey responses to create this article which is a hybrid narrative—a mix of poetry and prose. Regardless of serving in conflicts or wars and their military-related health issues, most veterans found a silver lining of service that acts as a source of pride and resilience that is beneficial to post-military life as they age.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v9i3.495 | Journal eISSN: 2470-4768

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 98 - 102

Submitted on: Aug 27, 2023

Accepted on: Oct 19, 2023

Published on: Dec 20, 2023

Published by: Virginia Tech Publishing

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

aging,

military-related disabilities,

post-9/11,

veterans,

Vietnam

© 2023 Traben Pleasant, Sarah Ono, Sarah Gothard, Rachel Wall, Lisa Silbert, published by Virginia Tech Publishing
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 9 (2023): Issue 3