Woman supports act for families of veterans

SOLDIER POND – Like many Vietnam veterans, Karen Brown’s father was never the same after he came home from the war. The effects that post-traumatic stress syndrome had on him and his family, as well as her own experiences in the military, have prompted Brown to draft legislation that would give the families of veterans a break from service.

The Generation Recovery Act would allow for family members of veterans up to three generations later to voluntarily decline to serve in the military in the event of a draft. The act would protect only the family members of veterans who have been debilitated by involvement in life-or-death situations.

“We need to provide families with a means to heal, to get back on their feet,” the former U.S. Coast Guard and Army medic said during an interview at the Bangor Daily News.

Brown, 37, would like to see the act made into federal legislation, which would supercede the Military Selective Service Act.

Brown does not have the backing of any member of the U.S. Congress, but she sent the act for review to U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud. Although he has not given any official backing to the act, in a letter to Brown the legislator said, “If in the unlikely case that legislation to reinstate the draft moves forward, I will work with you to see that families who have already suffered for our country do not bear an unfair burden.”

Representatives from Michaud’s office stressed that the reinstatement of a draft is highly unlikely.

For Brown, the issue is personal. Her father, her grandfather, two sisters and Brown herself all have served in the military. Because her father faced life-and-death situations while in Vietnam, where he did two tours, her family suffered later, she said.

She recalls as a child how she and her sisters’ screams while they played a simple game of tag would trigger bouts of physical abuse by her father. She also said he has suffered from alcoholism and depression.

There’s a reason for this, Brown said, and it’s post-traumatic stress syndrome.

“When [soldiers] come home, that war comes with them,” she said.

Brown is quick to say that she understands why her father and other veterans act this way after being involved in combat. They’re not abnormal for being this way, but their actions can have lasting effects, she said.

The act would protect veterans’ descendents in the event of a draft, but Brown said it’s more for the peace of mind of soldiers and their families.

“For me, it would give me peace of mind” to know that her 15-year-old son would not be required to be drafted, she said. The families of soldiers who went through life-or-death situations should be given time to heal before sending more relatives to war, Brown said.

Before soldiers enter war, they are reprogrammed so that killing becomes easier, the veteran said. That sort of internal programming takes time to undo, and that’s what the Generation Recovery Act is about, Brown said.

Because Brown ultimately would need a member of Congress to support the act in order for it to make any progress, the veteran is collecting letters from people who have undergone similar experiences in order to make her case stronger.

Brown said she knows that a lot of people, specifically other veterans, will disagree with her act. Her own father is against it, she said.

“He thinks it’s piggybacking,” she said.

Although she understands his position, she is committed to letting people know about her cause and said she will do whatever it takes to get her message out.

“I’m going to continue to do whatever I have to do, peaceably, to draw attention to this,” Brown said.

For information, write to Brown at P.O. Box 484, Fort Kent 04743.