This chapter includes a description of the author’s training and experience in the Iowa Army National Guard that prepared him for his deployment to Afghanistan. The author explains: How, at age 57, he decided to join the Iowa Army National Guard, with the goal of doing something about the huge problem: increasing numbers of military service related suicides. He discusses his experience of going through the Officer’s Basic Leadership Course to celebrating his 60th birthday but shortly afterwards he was sent to Afghanistan. He describes his year there as providing combat social work services in a setting where at any time, you could be subject to a rocket or motor attack. Among the challenges leading to lessons learned was establishing trust among his clients. All were reluctant to talk with a “shrink.” An especially moving section of his chapter was about conducting a critical incident debriefing after a mass casualty event.
