KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - Echoes of ancient Greek drama filled the air inside the Kaiserslautern Community Activity Center on Daenner Kaserne May 20 here as Soldiers and Families from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command and the Kaiserslautern Military Community gathered to take part in an innovative new program.
The program, called Theater of War, is part of an Army-wide effort to assist combat veterans with developing their coping skills and resiliency, and the helping these veterans through their overall healing processes.
Theater of War incorporates a theatrical approach as a method to assist Soldiers and their Families cope with the challenges of dealing with combat stress. A group of four respected actors in stage and screen performed ancient Greek readings from Sophocles as part of the Theater of War's European tour through U.S. military communities. The town-hall like setting shed a different light on the reality of coping with post traumatic stress as well as the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and family issues Soldiers and Families face upon returning home from a combat deployment.
"I think it shows that throughout the years, emotional problems are a part of everybody's lives. It doesn't matter how strong you are, you have issues you have to deal with, especially in a profession like ours. We can relate to the Greek stories and plays," said Master Sgt. William Quimbayoglen, the operations noncommissioned officer in charge at the 21st TSC. Quimbayoglen, having been through two deployments himself, knows firsthand about the stressors today's Soldiers and Families face.
Bryan Doerries, a writer and director who founded Theater of War, described the project as a way to assist Soldiers and Families overcome stigmas about psychological injuries suffered in battle, utilizing ancient Greek plays as a catalyst for discussion.
Jamie Hector, critically acclaimed for his portrayal as Marlo Stanfield in the HBO series "The Wire," was one of the actors on the European Theater of War tour. Hector said he feels participating in this program will provide a different kind of forum for Soldiers and Families to speak about combat stress.
"When somebody is just not feeling comfortable in their own skin and at peace and they need an outlet and they don't want to speak to anybody, this is just a way to give them a different outlet," Hector said.
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