To help us honor Memorial Day, I speak with Alec Pifer, decorated Marine veteran, entrepreneur, father and husband about his years of service as a Marine Corps officer responsible for the health and safety of over 100 soldiers. He recounts the moral dilemna of the death of an enemy fighter during a mission and the sadness that haunts him to this day. We discuss how hypervigilance, high stress and imbedded trauma can follow soldiers into civilian life long after their deployment is complete, increasing their risk of severe depression and suicide. We discuss how peer support, healthy life balance and redefining identity can help mitigate some of those those risks for veterans and bring them home safely to their families.
