CourtesyThe death of his son led Robert Funcheon to pursue a degree in social work at 成人头条 to help others deal with loss.
鈥淢y son (Alex) was killed in Iraq two years ago,鈥� he said.
Alex was the best gunner, the best pair of eyes to search for roadside bombs. He sat in the gun turret of the lead Humvee in his scout platoon. In April 2007, Alex鈥檚 Humvee was destroyed by a roadside bomb.
That tragedy changed his father鈥檚 perspective of life.
At his son鈥檚 memorial service, Funcheon met U.S. soldiers who had come home from Iraq, some of whom had lost limbs. Looking them in the eye was a shock to his system, he said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 five minutes I鈥檒l always remember,鈥� said Funcheon, his own eyes betraying the depth of his grief.
Without those moments, he said, he wouldn鈥檛 be coming back to college to get his master鈥檚 in social work. And he wouldn鈥檛 be quietly moving forward on a career path to help soldiers returning from war and their families.
He came to WSU in spring 2008. He is graduating in May with a degree in general studies and an emphasis in social work. Next fall, Funcheon will begin the master鈥檚 of social work program.
鈥淭he road to get where I wanted to be necessitated a college degree,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t my age, I wouldn鈥檛 have taken the time to go to school because I have a sense of urgency.鈥�
Funcheon left his job at the National Screening Bureau, an agency that performs background checks for employers, to become a full-time student.
He and his wife have counseled other families who have lost loved ones, but without a degree he said he couldn鈥檛 help people the way he wanted. He had to have an education to establish himself as a professional in the field.
He wants sufferers to see he鈥檚 legitimate, that he has suffered as well, but he doesn鈥檛 want to be seen as another empty suit.
鈥淚 believe that through (my) personal loss, these men and women will give me five minutes to prove myself,鈥� Funcheon said.
Natalie Grant, professor, adviser and program director in the undergraduate social work program said, 鈥淲e must know how to work through our own challenges and problems if we expect to help others do the same for themselves. Bob gets that.鈥�
At WSU, Funcheon came into the program with specific goals, Grant said.
鈥淒uring his studies, he has not waivered from his initial goals,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ob is capable of commitment and dedication, and, I think, being driven by his experiences, he has gained a new purpose.鈥�
Funcheon decided to focus his studies on post traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD is a psychological disorder affecting people who have experienced profoundly traumatic events, such as war.
In World War I, it was known as 鈥渟hell-shock,鈥� Funcheon said. And in WWII, the military called it 鈥渂attlefield fatigue.鈥�
PTSD manifests itself in different ways.
Funcheon said that some soldiers coming home from Iraq cannot travel in vehicles going 30 to 35 miles per hour because that is how fast Humvees traveled in Iraq. The speed triggers the memory.
Lisa Rome, Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom program manager at the Robert J. Dole Veteran鈥檚 Hospital in 成人头条, said there are 鈥渟o many things that can be triggers.鈥�
鈥�(Some veterans) have a hard time with garbage on the side of the road鈥� or bags of leaves because they are constantly scanning roads for bombs,鈥� she said.
Other triggers include smells, sounds and the environment. If a day is hot and windy, Rome said it could remind a soldier of the desert.
But the trigger can also be internal. Feelings of frustration, anxiousness and insomnia can be triggers.
Rome said some returning soldiers are hyper-vigilant, constantly checking locks on doors and windows, not sleeping because nobody else is there to stand watch.
Funcheon said PTSD is elusive, and many professionals disagree on concrete diagnoses. Its symptoms can be attributed to other illnesses, such as depression or anxiety, usually found together.
To treat PTSD, you have to treat the symptoms; there is no cure. But Funcheon believes that, though the events that cause PTSD will always remain in the memory, learning to deal with them successfully can be achieved.
Funcheon is studying social work, instead of psychology, because he believes for people to manage their PTSD or other psychological ailments, the family needs to be involved.
鈥淭he whole family suffers when (someone) has PTSD,鈥� he said.
He said families often do not understand what their son, daughter or spouse is going through, and that can lead to the end of family relationships.
Social work incorporates family therapy, and through that Funcheon said families of soldiers can better understand PTSD and its symptoms, and soldiers can have the support system they need.
Funcheon would also like to work with soldiers who suffer from 鈥渟urvivor鈥檚 guilt.鈥� When soldiers return home having friends who didn鈥檛 make it, they can carry with them a form of guilt.
The single survivor from the Humvee bombing that killed his son lived only because Alex鈥檚 falling body protected him from the blast. That soldier apologized to the Funcheons for living when their son died.
Later, at a party the Funcheons threw for Alex, Funcheon met a number of men from the Patriot Guard, some still suffering from events that happened 40 years ago in Vietnam.
One man said, 鈥淓xcept for seconds and inches, that鈥檚 why my buddy died, and I didn鈥檛.鈥�
The same seconds and inches saved one soldier鈥檚 life, but killed Alex. Funcheon said he doesn鈥檛 want people to have that guilt.
But Funcheon has another mission after college: to let people know about the war in Iraq. He wants America to see what soldiers lose in their lives by their service to the nation.
鈥淢y hope is that people will realize that there is a war going on and that many, many families are affected by it,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd that they would not forget about these men and women.鈥�