S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show. There is a partial government shutdown. The cost of living is high. And now the U.S. has entered a war with Iran. The burden military family shoulder is heavy , and we'll be talking about the resources available to help lift some of that burden. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. As the war continues in Iran , military families here in San Diego are grappling with stress and uncertainty. In fact , San Diego based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is playing a large role in the strikes , with more than 115,000 active duty military members in San Diego. We're unpacking the toll the war is having on the families. Joining me now is Maggie Mesa. She's executive director for the nonprofit Blue Star Family San Diego , a nonprofit advocacy group for military families. Maggie , welcome.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Glad to have you on here. Lots to talk about , I mean , there. And there are a lot of there's just a lot of fear and anxiety right now among service members.
S2: They they live a lifestyle that is fast paced and comes with a lot of uncertainty at the same time. And right now , they're really looking for their community to lean in and to lean in on these organizations like ours , to provide them some resources.
S1: Also , you know , you're providing resources , which is great. And another important resource for families , I would imagine , is information. Um , and right now there's been uncertainty and mixed messaging from President Trump regarding his plans for Iran.
S2: However , I can say universally , regardless of the branch of service our military families are are going through a lot of anxiety right now. Our military spouses are refreshing their phones , and our children are picking up on that anxiety at home. And our mothers and fathers are , you know , wondering if their sons or daughters are okay. So that's why it's so important for the work that we do in our programming and our connecting our families together. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And so tell me a bit about the the programming. How are you helping these the military families ? Yeah.
S2: So for at Blue Star Families , you know , our mission is to connect our military families to the community. We do that through our everyday programming and through our website called The Neighborhood , where we offer a community for our active duty service members and our veteran families to be able to connect with one another , whether that's locally or nationally , and really find those , you know , those resources that connect them where they are needed right now.
S1: And I know that you're a you're a military spouse yourself. Um , can you tell me , like , in what ways ? I mean , there's there's so many ways that that you can support a family and a spouse. And I think that for a person who's not involved in the military , there are ways in which they may not even think of. Um , can you talk a bit about some of that ? Absolutely.
S2: My husband served 30 years in the Marine Corps. We were a family with three small children , and during the time of Iraq and Afghanistan , my husband was gone for probably 4 to 5 years at a certain point. And that was a time where , you know , for my anxiety and my not knowing what was going to happen. I really needed to rely and lean in on my community , whether that's my fellow military spouses or the community members where we were that were there to come out and support us. And so that's where , you know , you talked about the numbers earlier , over 100,000 service members. And , you know , times that by two , three , four are military dependents that we they are in need of support and , and are just really looking for something to ease that anxiety. Hmm.
S1: Hmm.
S2: My husband served his last tour on Camp Pendleton , and he was getting ready to retire. And I didn't want to leave this beautiful state. And I had a friend that said , they're hiring at Bluestar families. And I thought , this is perfect for me because this is what I've been doing. I , I , my family was the mission of Blue Star families , and it was something that I could continue to do to help support our military families and advocate for them. And so it was a perfect fit , and my CEO thought so as well. And so I've been working for Blue Star families for seven years , and have met so many lovely military families along the way that it really reinforces the great work and the why behind what we do at Blue Star families. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. You mentioned how much support you received , um , when when your spouse was deployed. Um , I mean , there's been an increase in financial strain on military families right now , and one resource is , um , is probably money. Um , food , I mean , things like that. Can you talk about , um , some of the ways in which your organization helps folks who are dealing with that ? Right.
S2: So one of the things that we do , um , and we're a data driven organization , we run a military family lifestyle survey every year , and we ask our military members what are they experiencing ? And then we use that data to advocate for them , but also to pivot our programming. And one of the things that we do is nourish the service. We work with our local food banks and other organizations within the the region to be able to provide , um , our families , um , supplement to their income of , you know , food or activities for our children , for their children. So , you know , we know where , where what they're going through through our data. We've seen 1 in 4 , um , you know , of active duty families experience , um , low food security. So we work to really , uh , meet our families where the need is. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And , you know , aside from food insecurity , I would imagine also that the strain and stress of of war adds an additional burden. So how are people dealing with that and how does your organization help with that ? Just emotional burden of of war.
S2: You know , our programming is really getting our military families together so that they can find their community while they're here. And one of the things is , um , they're able to talk to each other and have this understanding of what each other is experiencing. And so through that , they're able to , um , build that community and then bring other military families along as well. Um , I mentioned earlier , we have an online , um , neighborhood where it's a secure area for our military families to come in and , and , uh , access resources. Um , we have mental health resources. We have child care resources , uh , military spouse employment resources that they can go and seek , but also talk amongst the community , um , to get that help. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Earlier this week , Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said , you know , this isn't Iraq. In defending the US strikes on Iran. And your eyes , how does this war connect , though , to previous conflicts ? Does it bring up similar memories and experiences for families ? You think ? Absolutely.
S2: I you know , I , I just , you know , thinking back about where I was at that time when my husband was at war and thinking about what my children were experiencing and the other families around us. Um , you know , you can the name can change , but the but the strain stays the same and the worry stays the same. Um , you know , for for our military families , um , you know , they love what they do. They serve our nation , and they , they protect us. And it's up to us as a community to really get behind them and show them the support. We're a proud military town in San Diego. And , um , we get to visually see the , the , the ships and see our Marines. But right now , our military families really need us to wrap our arms around them.
S1:
S2: You know , child care , cost of living , um , food insecurity. Those are just now even more heightened because their loved one has , you know , deployed or is in training. And so I would say , you know , as a community , we just need to continue , um , advocating for our families and recognizing what , what the stressors are and , um , and just be able to work together to be able to solve some of those issues for them.
S1:
S2: We're already doing the work. We're already having the programming for our military families. We love volunteers. We you , you can have an opportunity to come and interact with military families and get to know them. I will say 70% of our military families reside in the community. They are off the base. And so they are our neighbors. And this is a great way for you to be able to support them and to be able to , you know , do your part and be be that change. Hmm.
S1: Hmm.
S2: We have a multitude of organizations that are on the ready to support our military families. I would say that , um , reach out to us and we will be able to connect to , um , where where your need is. We partner with a lot of other military and veteran service organizations. We're all complements to one another , and we're ready to be able to help in that time of need. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And before I let you go , I've got to ask how the flow of information is going between the military , between the white House and families who are who are back at home.
S2: He said , I , I , I'm not going to be able to speak to you for quite a while. We're getting ready to go. And I didn't know what that was like. It was the first time that I hadn't spoken to him. So I know that these military families , um , have lost , you know , probably instant contact with their deployed service members because of heightened security. Um , and that doesn't really add , um , it adds more to the anxiety and stress. And so I can empathize with what they're going through. And I would tell our military families. Lean into your community , lean into your fellow military spouses , and lean into the organizations that are here ready to support you and are supporting you and find comfort and stability in that.
S1: It's great advice. I've been speaking with Maggie Mesa , executive director for Blue Star Families San Diego , a nonprofit advocacy group for military families , and will link to any resources mentioned on our page at PBS.org. And you can find that later this afternoon. Maggie , thank you so much for joining us.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Still to come , our conversation continues with better ways to support the mental health of veterans. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Last month , the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report on military suicides. In 2023 , nearly 6400 veterans lost their lives to suicide. And what's more , over 60% of those who died had not received VA health care in their last year of life. Here to talk more is Jenny Ball. She's the regional clinical director at the Stephen Jay Cohen Military Family Clinic at Veterans Village , San Diego. And , Shauna , welcome back to Midday Edition. Thank you. Thank you for having me. So glad to have you here. You know , we are having this conversation , as many military members and their families are facing new uncertainty , as we just heard in our last segment. What do you say to military families who may be struggling with anxiety right now. That's a great.
S3: Question , Jade. I when I think about what the service member families could possibly be going through , it's an experience that I've actually had myself , um , thoughts of uncertainty , um , fears about things that they don't know , not lack of understanding of the mission that is happening. Um , and just overall , um. Just feelings of doubt and also confidence to I don't want to undermine the , the fight of our , our United States military , but just the mission of being separated and the uncertainty of fighting a war in a foreign area. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Lots of anxiety there , this loss of control. Um , how how can new events like we're seeing in and around Iran impact the mental health of veterans ? I mean , I would imagine it brings up old memories. and experiences. Talk to me about that.
S3: Um , it sounds like you are referring to , um , things associated with PTSD and having previously served. Um , I can speak to you from a clinical perspective of people that may be struggling with PTSD. Oftentimes we see flashbacks. We see different , uh , anxieties associated avoidance. If they have that and have not been treated , they could potentially be experiencing some symptoms like that. And we head on address those things at our clinic. Um , our therapists specialize in care and veterans care and care for active duty service members and their families. We focus on hiring clinicians that address PTSD with wet therapy , prolonged exposure , cognitive behavioral therapy , all of those modalities to address things that could potentially come up for our veteran population.
S1:
S3: Um , those are all things that we would associate with PTSD. Flashbacks , nightmares , um , cognitive changes. Again , we welcome those symptoms. We want to provide healing along the journey for people that are struggling with that , even if they have had treatment in the past. And they those treat the symptoms are resurfacing. Please seek help again like it's it's never too many times. There's always room for care. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And you mentioned exposure therapy as one of the tools you use at your clinic. How does that.
S3: And when we talk about exposure , there's different ways that we would do it. So those difficult nightmares , um , difficult remembrances uh , recalling of events that have happened. We normalize those and try to help the client get through those and retell those. Through exposure , we talk about it and then offer ways to cope with those different , um , memories for , for each. Sorry. For each client.
S1: Yeah , yeah. And so how I want to , you know , go back to , to where we started , which was talking about the suicide rate. And , and we know that that's a consequence of not getting the help that someone might need. Tell me how big of a problem , Um , military suicide is today.
S3: Um , I believe that you might be referring to the report that came out from the VA , um , indicating that there are about 17 suicides a day , which is an extremely high number. But that question would be most appropriately directed to the VA or to the Department of War. Um , we work on the treatment end of that and on the treatment side of those symptoms and supporting people that are dealing with those issues , not so much the , um , the why of why it happens. But I can tell you what we're seeing here in San Diego for military service members that are transitioning out and becoming veterans. Um , that transition in itself is extremely difficult. Um , moving from the military uniform to civilian life service members can have a sense of loss of purpose. Um , they can have that loss of identity. Especially for those who have retired or those who aspired and their career was cut short for whatever reason. Um , they go in with , I am a soldier , I am a marine , and then you are. What next ? And that is not really in alignment with what you had , um , aspired to be like. When you transition out or you feel like you're no longer part of the team. And Jade , I can recall that being a profound statement that my husband said when he retired from the Marine Corps. I don't feel like I belong anymore. I don't feel like I'm part of the team. And it was an extreme , um , stressor for our family , that transition piece. And it didn't just impact my husband , it impacted all of us. It's it's like when we have family therapy , we can't say , oh , my child , one person not doing well in the family means the whole family has a piece of that struggle and we offer that. So if if there are service members listening that are preparing for , um , transition out of the military , we want to get them in and start building some healthy skills. We offer case management and our clinic to provide resources for employment , financial resources , housing , resources. We want to treat the whole person and we with our client centered approach at our clinics.
S1: How did you all move beyond that , that that rough transition point going from a service member to civilian life ? Um.
S3:
S1:
S3: We actually went to couples therapy ourselves just to learn about what is happening with our family. Um , trying to get an understanding for what my husband was feeling with his identity as a marine and his new identity as a veteran. Um , that took a lot of time , a lot of adjustment. A lot of what's my worth , what's my purpose , and putting everything on the table because I felt very uncertain that our marriage would survive that transition. And having talked to so many other spouses , I know that I'm not alone in that. It rings true to a lot of people that have endured deployments and that reintegration process to retirement or end of service. Wow.
S1: Wow. So it was couples therapy for you all. And talk about some of the resources that the Cohen Clinic , um , provides. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. So we provide , um , services for anxiety , depression , adjustment disorders , military transition , as I mentioned moments ago about our case management services offering support for whatever resources the service member or veteran needs. And if they need a higher level of care , if they're struggling with severe and persistent mental illness , we will refer them to a high level , higher level of care and still provide case management support for them.
S1: You know , and you all held a campaign , a suicide prevention campaign for veterans who are women called , have her six. Tell me a little bit about that.
S3: Yeah , that was an amazing campaign and I got to be a part of that. Actually , the Have Her six campaign was about awareness for women's suicide and prevention , and also letting women know that we have their six as the coed clinic. We we want them to come in for anything that they had experience or not checked or needs to be rechecked. We wanted to be to let them know that we can show up for them. There's no shame. We want to reduce barriers to care. One of the amazing things that we have Jade at our clinic is , um , childcare. Um , we offer childcare during the the session. Um , we want to eliminate as many barriers as possible. If you have issues with getting to our clinic , we will offer , um , transportation services as well.
S1: Yeah , and that's a great thing , um , that you offer there to support people. And it makes me wonder also how communities can support , um , veterans and service members who've come back home and are looking to , to transition into civilian life. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. I think that you have to be willing and open to receive help first of all. Um , so we try to get the word out. We partner with other local and national organizations. Um , I know you just have Blue Star families on. We partner with them in the past , but our clinics , like , it's so important to focus on the whole person. And when I say that , I mean spiritually , physically , intellectually , creatively , or like helping them with a career and socially and emotionally all of those things are important to our wellness. Mhm.
S1: And I know in working during other war times that simply having a community that has that Scott job openings available. You know I mean that's one of those things that's key to transitioning back into civilian life. Yeah. And one of the ways that , you know , a community can help. Now the VA , among many health care providers , have really been looking to eliminate the stigma of getting mental health treatment.
S3: So there's an increased number of people that are getting services. So that shows that we are doing good work and reducing the stigma. But the stigma still exists , right ? Because these are the everyday heroes. And , um , oftentimes there is this idea that I can manage this or I don't want to tell anybody or could compromise my career. That is not what I see. That's being , um , pushed out. I think readiness for the military includes mental readiness , and I think that the DoD is doing a good job at saying your mental health is equal is as equally important as your physical health.
S1:
S3: We are always open at the cone clinics to partner with organizations that are doing good work for the community. Word of mouth , social media , whatever ways that we can reduce barriers. One idea that I have that I'm super excited about is just putting on workshops. Um , that educational piece , Psycho Education , about what is anxiety ? What is depression ? Letting people know and normalizing those things. We all experience them. It's just that when it is persistent and you are stuck in it , that it's problematic.
S1:
S3: We just want to have people come to the door , through the door. And reservists , we offer services to to all reservists and families. So we don't exclude any piece of the military unit. We often collaborate with the VA to reduce wait times and bring people in to increase access to care.
S1: Access is key right there. Well , I really thank you for all that you do and thank you for your service as well. I've been speaking with Sean Bell , regional clinical director at the Stephen A Cohen military family clinic at at Shane Ball. Sorry about that. You've got a little typo here , but you're with the Steven Cohen military family clinic at Veterans Village , San Diego. Shane , thank you so much.
S3: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: And of course , if you are experiencing a mental or behavioral health emergency , the number to call for help and resources is 988. That's our show for today.
S4: I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
