Sheepdog Tip of the Day, After Combat tip 83
There are always those people who say something like: "Debriefing? I don't need no stinking debriefing!" and we believe them. But the debriefing is not necessarily for them; it is for their buddy, partner, spouse and their children. What would they not do to save a buddy's life? A partner's? Or the lives of their spouses and kids? Remember, the probability of loss of life after the event can be far greater than the loss of life during the event. We have seen this among police officers, Vietnam veterans and Gulf War veterans, and there may be evidence of it happening to veterans of the liberation of Iraq and the War on Terrorism in the Middle East. Think of a debriefing this way: It is a mechanism that makes it possible to save lives. Remember: Pain shared is pain divided, and you are only as sick as your secrets. In a debriefing, you have the opportunity to share those secrets and to share your pain as you come together to help each other through a traumatic event. Those who say that they do not need to participate need to ask themselves if they would withhold their fire in the middle of a life and death gunfight just because they were not in danger. Would they withhold medical support for someone gushing blood just because they were not hurt? Of course not. Nor should they withhold their support of others in a critical incident debriefing just because they do not think they need a debriefing.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat
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Additional Resources
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