VA Illiana recognizes Independence Day and the price of freedom

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — In Central Illinois and across the US, celebrating our country’s independence can come with loud noises or a big starburst of colors. However, those can sometimes be triggering for veterans.

If you turn to a different way of appreciating our freedom, you might hear something different.

“Challenges following service are so normal, they are so common. This isn’t reflective of weakness,” VA Illiana Clinical Psychologist Katie Keil said. “This isn’t reflective of someone having dropped the ball in some way, right? This is just human.”

Keil said veterans who are trauma survivors or who have seen combat may experience PTSD.

“I hear from a lot of folks that we work with, that just knowing that they’re coming can really help.”

She said that many veterans she works with can feel disjointed or that something is wrong with them when these triggers happen.

“The military trains you to be ready to respond to these unexpected noises or events, and that’s simply what many of our veterans are doing on autopilot,” Keil said.

Isolation and avoidance of any loud noises or bright lights are very common among veterans. But the parade in Danville is celebrating with the veterans, driving through the VA Illiana.

“Loved the motorcycles, loved the cars — you know, everything about it,” said Vietnam veteran David Dixen. “I love my country and I love the freedom that it stands for. And if we want to keep our freedom, I think we all need to understand it.”

Although this time to celebrate can be entertaining, it’s important to check in with those heroes on how to safely enjoy the holiday. For those wanting to plan ahead for Thursday’s festivities, you can refer to our list of fireworks shows in the area.

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