Independence Day fireworks may trigger stress for combat veterans
UC manager explains considerate fireworks etiquette
Spectrum News spoke to an Iraq War veteran at the University of Cincinnati about good fireworks etiquette to be considerate to veterans on the Fourth of July.
UC Veterans Programs and Services Manager Terence Harrison served in Iraq and is a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. He told Spectrum News that some veterans appreciate when neighbors give them advance warning about fireworks demonstrations in the neighborhood.
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Terence Harrison, program manager of UC's Veterans Programs and Services, spoke to Spectrum News about fireworks etiquette on the Fourth of July. Photo/Provided
About 7% of veterans experience post traumatic stress, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Harrison said service members feel a heightened sense of alertness while serving in war zones.
“You’re always alert, you’re always on edge. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” he told Spectrum News.
And that feeling may persist after they return to civilian life, he said.
Kate Chard, PTSD programs director at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, told Spectrum News that sudden, loud noises from fireworks can cause stress, so she also recommends thinking about veterans in the neighborhood when planning a fireworks show.
Featured image at top: Spectrum News highlighted ways neighbors can be considerate to veterans over Fourth of July. Photo/Jay Yocis/UC
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