Soldiers often experience moral injury, as do various other kinds of first responders. Those who lay their lives on the line through service to others will inevitably encounter challenges and difficulties. Military personnel, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and healthcare professionals have in common the need to make split-second decisions that can turn out to be wrong or soul-altering. In the midst of perilous situations they themselves can be harmed. Through these Potentially Morally Injurious Events, individuals are often left with life-changing damage to their emotional and physical well-being.

Michael Marotta knows this fact intimately, from his own experiences both as a U.S. Air Force veteran and as a law enforcement officer. He chronicles his current experiences directing Warriors Heart Virginia, a service to those who like him have experienced alcoholism, Post Traumatic Stress, withdrawal, and loneliness (Marotta, April 30, 2024. He states that those who love first responders should be looking for physical changes like weight gain and lack of sleep, cognitive changes in how information is processed, and negative emotional health changes. Marotta challenges us to answer the call to support our nation’s heroes.

A major way to do this is through participation in the annual Comprehensive Moral Injury Conference presented by MISNS.  This gathering presents current research to further support the advocacy and counseling performed by the myriad of professionals who have answered this call to help morally injured people rebuild their lives.

One of the presenters at this September’s conference is Dr. Lois DiNatale. She explores the gut-brain relationship, and shows how a healthy gut supports healing from the effects of moral injury (https://misns.org/programs/cmic/)

As JoAnne S. Bass writes in Aether: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower, the physiological and psychological effects of military service can sometimes be deeply traumatic and enduring (https://misns.org/about-us/our-story/#MISNS #militaryservice #mentalhealthcare #mentalstrength).

 Likewise, those who respond to deadly diseases, pandemics, fires, and criminal activity can experience similar moral injury and trauma. Those who join us at this year’s conference can hear the latest research findings and gain insights from other professionals in the field. MISNS executive director Dr. Daniel Roberts will present his research on moral injury in servicewomen. Dr. Sarah Archer will be the keynote speaker, and Dr. Jamie Peer, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret), will lead a women’s veteran panel. Visit https://misns.org/programs/cmic/ for more information.

Susan Sganga is the Media Specialist for Moral Injury Support Network for Servicewomen, Inc. and is a public health specialist located in North Carolina. She can be reached at 704-254-1548 or susanpsganga@gmail.com

Resources

April 20, 2024. Our heroes need our help. Four signs a first responder may be struggling. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/person/m/michael-marotta. Accessed April 23, 2024.

MISNS. https://misns.org/. Accessed April 23, 2024.