{"id":71867,"date":"2023-01-30T08:48:22","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T14:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=71867"},"modified":"2024-04-06T06:12:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T06:12:04","slug":"understanding-stress-on-those-who-serve","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/understanding-stress-on-those-who-serve\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Stress on Those Who Serve"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\">\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Understanding Stress on Those Who Serve<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(An Observation About Public Servants)<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">By Robert B. (Scott) Kuhnen, USAF Civilian (RET)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/combat-stress-magazine-winter-2022-2023\"><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"><em>*This is an article from the Winter 2022\/2023 issue of Combat Stress<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-71627 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture6-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"142\" height=\"49\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Please forgive me. I\u2019m a neophyte in your space.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In the last edition of\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Combat Stress<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, I shared some thoughts which I entitled, \u201cUnderstanding a Shooting in Texas.\u201d I set readers up slightly by implying that I was discussing the highly publicized shooting in Uvalde, Texas which was then very much in the news, when I was really trying to provoke a conversation and re-examination of the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In this edition of\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Combat Stress<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, I would like to continue my theme of trying to understand. As I conclude my thoughts, I will again try to provoke\u2026and to see what reactions this may elicit.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A quick story:<\/span><\/i><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0In 2016, a small group of volunteers in and around Dayton, Ohio hosted the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (now called USA Patriots Amputee Softball Team). Between doubleheader games by the amputee players versus able-bodied players, we hosted a ceremony patterned after the sign-off of long-time Cincinnati Reds broadcaster and Baseball Hall of Famer, Joe Nuxhall, who always told his listeners as the signoff of his broadcasts that he was \u201crounding 3<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rd<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and headed for home.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Our 2016 ceremony was in honor of Vietnam Veterans who, coincidently, were also recognizing the 50-year anniversary of the War in Vietnam.\u00a0 We asked them to step up out of the first base dugout, then walk the bases from 1<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to 2<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">nd<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to 3<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rd<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and then finally welcomed them home at home plate. At each stop, these Veterans of the Vietnam War were welcomed by our beneficiaries and other dignitaries, such as the Chief of Staff for the Dayton VA Medical Center at home plate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Prior to the start of ceremonies, and just prior to organizing this line of Veterans to be recognized, I happened upon a gentleman behind the stadium who was wearing a Veteran ball cap, so I casually asked him if he had signed up and was ready to walk the bases?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">His response surprised me. While he admitted that he was a Veteran of the Vietnam era, he sheepishly explained that he was never deployed to Vietnam and didn\u2019t feel that this ceremony was for him. There were tears in his eyes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I then asked him if he had volunteered to serve? He said that he had. I asked him if, unlike everyone I ever knew who volunteered to serve, he had been asked where he wanted to serve or, like all the rest of us, was\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">told<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0where he would serve?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I shared with him that once he raised his hand and swore that Oath of Enlistment, he was then told when to stand up, when to sit, where and when to sleep, when to eat, and what to do\u2026and the choice to be deployed or not deployed to Vietnam was not in his control. Simply put, if he served during the war in Vietnam, he was a Vietnam Veteran.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To my delight, he circled the bases and received thanks for his service. For me, and I hope for him, it was a highlight of our weekend with the USA Patriots Amputee Softball Team.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is the sort of person to whom service is meaningful; a person who would never steal the valor of another and respects his country far too much to let it down.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is the sort of person to whom discipline is soothing and calming and to whom conflict, and chaos are unsettling. Not everyone fits this mold. For example, do politicians?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Now then, imagine for just a second what this person thought about our withdrawal in 2021 from Afghanistan? Honorable? Wise? Meeting commitments made, not just to Afghans but also to our US Servicemembers.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-71629 size-full jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7-200x241.png 200w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7-249x300.png 249w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7-400x483.png 400w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7-500x603.png 500w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7-600x724.png 600w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7-700x844.png 700w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture7.png 722w\" alt=\"\" width=\"722\" height=\"871\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-71630 size-full jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 804px) 100vw, 804px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-200x216.png 200w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-277x300.png 277w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-400x433.png 400w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-500x541.png 500w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-600x649.png 600w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-700x757.png 700w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-768x831.png 768w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8-800x866.png 800w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture8.png 804w\" alt=\"\" width=\"804\" height=\"870\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/>Imagine if you can, whether or not the sacrifice was worth it for the hundreds of thousands who took the oath upon answering the call of duty to Uncle Sam to protect and defend. This was the ultimate disloyalty for those who did.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are imagining it (or maybe you are actually right now living it?), are you seeing a person under stress? Or, worse yet, are you actually imagining a person in despair? Where is that line\u2026that difference between stress versus<\/span>\u00a0<span data-contrast=\"auto\">despair?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How do people to whom service to others is foundational and paramount in their own lives, and an important part of who they are, cope with such an obvious and disheartening betrayal? Or asked another way, how many have been deeply impacted and unable to tolerate such betrayal and infidelity?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These people wear a uniform, which signifies to others that they are serving their nation. Uniforms, of course, are not merely reserved for our Armed Forces but also for our 1<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0responders who also serve. One need not imagine, but merely observe, how such servants of the people are disrespected and abused. Watch as their foundational principles are attacked and eroded until they find it impossible to cope.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Those who serve their fellow citizens, and our nation are proud of their service. That pride is a deep-seated defense against setbacks, small or otherwise. Their pride is foundational to their sense of being.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I believe that most of these public servants understood the nature of stress prior to, during, and even after their military service. I do not believe; however, they knew how fragile they might become when the very nation they were serving appeared to turn against them. Is this when stress becomes despair?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To deal with this potential bridge from stress to despair, I would like to offer some thoughts\u2026not exactly advice (since it would be too personal to presume).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As I write, literally billions of people across the world are remembering and honoring Queen Elisabeth II on the occasion of her funeral. Within those billions of people, it is likely that some were inspired by a life of dedicated service. Many people, whether religious or not, did their best to emulate the Queen\u2019s life of service to others and derived a great deal of satisfaction from attempts at selflessness and by serving others. I would argue that this service to others motivates many in our country, not merely our Armed Forces, but all nature of 1<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0responders and volunteers for worthwhile organizations and undertakings for noble causes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Public servants \u2013 those who work in Government for the citizens who pay their salaries \u2013 hold a special responsibility. Their service is to all of us, not merely those with whom they agree or may be sympathetic. I worry that politics has corrupted many of these public servants and those who are partisan should probably not remain on\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">our<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0payroll.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I try to understand the gap which appears to now exist between those in our political class\u2026the so-called elites\u2026versus those who serve. Has this chasm ever been wider\u2026at least in these United States?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Walk a mile in the shoes of not just a traditional Service Member, but almost any 1<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Responder\u2026police, border agent, or any civil servant who sees and feels the wide gulf between the missions they are handed to pursue versus<\/span>\u00a0<span data-contrast=\"auto\">how that mission may be politicized or distorted to achieve certain political ends.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Imagine the stress of not seeing the sort of entire-organization alignment required to achieve mission success. Might they be asking, \u201cDoes the boss have my back?\u201d In Government, there are undoubtedly more layers and more bosses than you can even begin to grasp. But, to the psyche of the public servant, everyone is a boss, and the mission must provide for everyone\u2019s benefit. It is certainly fair to expect that everyone would acknowledge and support their dedication and service to all of us.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-71631 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture10-300x61.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture10-200x41.png 200w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture10-300x61.png 300w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Capture10.png 347w\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"44\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When does stress become despair? Can we head this off prior to it happening\u2026 knowing what the final consequences of that path will become?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Is there something special or unique in the psyche of\u00a0<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">those who serve<\/span><\/i><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0which we might consider for reaching, helping, and\/or coaching them to cope? We must lean forward to understand and to provide for the welfare of those who have performed the most noble of deeds, our numerous and diverse public servants, only to have their sacrifices demeaned and dismissed and debased.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\">\n<h3 class=\"fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" data-fontsize=\"18\" data-lineheight=\"27px\">ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/h3>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-71634 size-thumbnail jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-150x150.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-66x66.jpg 66w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Kuhnen_BioPhoto_FNL-e1674748788332-150x150.jpg 150w\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><span class=\"TextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">Robert B. (Scott) Kuhnen<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span class=\"TextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0retired from Federal Service in 2014 after more than 40 years combined military and civilian service in the USAF. A native Ohioan, he enlisted in the USAF\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">directly<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0out of high school and quickly found himself back in study at the Defense Language Institute (DLI), Monterey, CA.\u00a0 As this occurred right as the U.S.S. Pueblo was being taken by the North Koreans<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0in 1968<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">, language specialist<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0found t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">hemselves studying<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0Korean and assigned to flight du<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">ty in Korea<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0and Japan.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0Active duty years passed quickly and burnout was commonly experienced by those serving. The author was honorably discharged and soon found himself back in school at Kent State University where he graduated with honors in 1977. The start of a family made graduate school more difficult and the opportunity to j<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">oin Federal S<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">ervice<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0(1978)<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0in the Engineering Directorate of Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) at Wright-Patterson<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0AFB, OH<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0very appealing. In spite of lacking an engineering degree, the author\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">enjoyed a rew<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">arding career\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">serving in the D<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">efense Standardization Program for both ASC and HQ Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) and as Scientific and Technical Information (STINFO) program manager for both ASC and HQ AFMC.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">\u00a0The author considered public service to be a calling and he has continued to serve by raising funds for local\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">V<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144375103 BCX0\">eteran organizations and causes like the Fisher House Foundation and Honor Flight-Dayton.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW144375103 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:200,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\">\n<h3 class=\"fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" data-fontsize=\"18\" data-lineheight=\"27px\">Combat Stress Magazine<\/h3>\n<p><em>Combat Stress<\/em>\u00a0magazine is written with our military Service Members, Veterans, first responders, and their families in mind. We want all of our members and guests to find contentment in their lives by learning about stress management and finding what works best for each of them. Stress is unavoidable and comes in many shapes and sizes. It can even be considered a part of who we are. Being in a state of peaceful happiness may seem like a lofty goal but harnessing your stress in a positive way makes it obtainable. Serving in the military or being a police officer, firefighter or paramedic brings unique challenges and some extraordinarily bad days. The American Institute of Stress is dedicated to helping you, our Heroes and their families, cope with and heal your mind and body from the stress associated with your careers and sacrifices.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\" data-fontsize=\"18\" data-lineheight=\"27px\">Subscribe to our FREE magazine for military members, police, firefighters,\u00a0 paramedics, and their families!<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-default button-2 fusion-button-default-span fusion-button-default-type\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text\">SUBSCRIBE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding Stress on Those Who Serve\u00a0 (An Observation About Public Servants)\u00a0 \u00a0By Robert B. (Scott) Kuhnen, USAF Civilian (RET)\u00a0 *This is an article from the Winter 2022\/2023 issue of Combat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":71868,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false},"categories":[139],"tags":[136,137,236,143,240,155,120,147],"class_list":["post-71867","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-life-blog","tag-ais","tag-american-institute-of-stress","tag-combat-stress","tag-mental-health","tag-ptsd","tag-research","tag-stress","tag-stress-management","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Understanding Stress on Those Who Serve - The American Institute of Stress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/understanding-stress-on-those-who-serve\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understanding Stress on Those Who Serve - The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understanding Stress on Those Who Serve\u00a0 (An Observation About Public Servants)\u00a0 \u00a0By Robert B. 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