Culturally competent care for Service members and Veterans includes an understanding of different facets of military service. Having an awareness and understanding of support, protector, and warrior roles helps you more effectively inquire about and validate the range of experiences many Service members and Veterans have had.^4,6,7 For instance:

• They may have served in combat roles or in support roles, such as administration, logistics, or healthcare.
• As deployment missions vary, roles and experiences may vary. For instance, serving in humanitarian assistance missions may be more likely to invoke protection values than combat values.
• Especially in the current era of complex counterinsurgency warfare, all Service members must continuously balance the protection of life against the winning of armed conflicts. For instance, many who served in Iraq had frequent contact with children, who may have become a source of loss or moral injury.

 

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