PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Combat stress is one of the most lethal enemies that members of the armed forces must face. Members of the Combat Stress Clinic are working throughout Afghanistan to defeat this enemy.
Lt. Col Thomas Stokes, a social worker from Glenshaw, Pa., leads a team dedicated to helping servicemembers cope with the stress of combat and increase their efficacy on the battlefield.
"My objective is to maintain the fighting strength," said Stokes.
Stokes said he recognizes each person he treats is faced with a different set of stressors depending upon where they are in the deployment cycle.
"I treat every person who walks through my door as a unique individual," said Stokes. "Our treatment is not, 'one size fits all.'"
Servicemembers deployed for their first time must adjust to life in a foreign environment and help their loved ones to adjust to their absence. Those returning to the U.S. often feel both joy and anxiety as they prepare to reintegrate into home and Western society.
By Capt. Kenneth A. Stewart, 17th Public Affairs Detachment
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