https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/veterans-toughest-battle-came-after-the-gunfire-ce/3899046/ PETER Zigmantas's path to the military was a tumultuous one. His childhood had its challenges as his father, a World War II veteran, "battled the bottle hard" and "had his own demons". He suffered from his own encounters with alcohol and drug use as a teenager as well. But with the army, the man affectionately known as 'Ziggy' found a brotherhood. "I pretty much joined the army to get away from that life and start all over again. A lot of the guys I joined with were exactly the same," Mr Zigmantas said. "It was like that Peter Pan story - the island of the lost boys - all these lads coming together and basically starting a new family. "We just have the utmost trust in our fellow soldier and mate. (But) then when you leave … it can be a very isolating experience." Mr Zigmantas's role changed throughout his 20 years of service - from overseas ventures with the army in Namibia to a 10-year stint with the air force, where he eventually became an instructor.
But when the end of his military days came, and with that the end of his brotherhood, a psychological scourge that superseded the conflicts of war followed. Mr Zigmantas had already gone through two marriage breakdowns while he served. He said the pile-up of personal and professional heartache made him feel he had two choices - try and pick up the pieces or end it all. "I ended up coming up to Mackay (in 2011), but then that whole isolation piece - being away from my family, children and support network I had in place - was really hard," the veteran said. "I was lucky enough that I found the strength to realise I needed some help. "When you serve you belong to this massive organisation and the brotherhood there is just phenomenal because it's all about a team environment. "They're relationships that have been built over an extensive period of time, and in very trying and testing circumstances as well. So, when you leave, everything is turned off." It has taken a monumental effort, but the veteran has found his footing in life and the community post-service. Re-married, with six children between him and his wife, he has moved on from his military days, and found solace in helping fellow soldiers. He presents a LivingWorks ASIST suicide prevention training program, and also takes part in a veterans wellness fitness program at Mackay City Fitness. Mr Zigmantas said he felt it was a way to 'pay it forward' to his fellow servicemen and women. "For a period of time I was quite isolated … I think a big one for myself was getting connected back to guys who had served before," he said. "Suicide is a big issue in our region, so for me it was about understanding it a lot more and the opportunity to use my previous skillsets as an instructor to train others. "It does take effort, and unfortunately sometimes for people when they have a troubled life it's quite easy for them to withdraw away from situations." If you need support this Christmas, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14. Vietnam aftermath still affecting veterans MANY close mates of Peter Zigmantas have been lost to suicide. Soldiers he served with in the military and senior former members of the service. The Mackay-based veteran has overcome his own obstacles, but he sees serious flaws in the way servicemen and women are treated upon their return home. They are issues which date back to the Vietnam War. Mr Zigmantas said Vietnam veterans were treated harshly when they returned, and many were still suffering from the repercussions. He said the transitional courses, support and funding provided was dependent on a serviceman or woman’s rank upon discharge — for him it was a “a forklifting ticket and that (was) basically the extent”. “In relation to where we’re currently sitting with veteran suicides in Australia, we should have taken those lessons from that Vietnam period, with those guys returning back to Australia and what they went through,” Mr Zigmantas said. “Unfortunately we were too slow in the uptake with our modern day veterans in being ready for them – there was no excuse for us not to have been (ready).” Veterans support network Mates4Mates says self-reported levels of high psychological distress among veterans is more than three times higher than the Australian community. In addition, male veterans aged under 30 have a suicide rate 2.2 times that of Australian men the same age. Many veterans endure traumatic physical and psychological injuries, and Mr Zigmanatas said early rehabilitation of these soldiers needed to occur – not as they were being discharged. “That whole process for rehabilitation and compensation should actually start while those people are still serving,” he said. “You look at recent times and our younger veterans from Iraq or Afghanistan, we’ve got a lot of those now in this country and they’re young men and women. They’re going to need a lot of help and a lot of support going forward. “Things have changed and are changing but we need to be doing so much more to truly support them and their families.”
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AuthorWith instances of suicide and mental illness increasing at Christmas time, I pitched a series of a page each day for a week covering a variety of mental health issues ArchivesCategories |