Jake Wood: A new mission for veterans -- disaster relief

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: I-Hsiang Lin 審譯者: Jui-Hsin Chen

Two years ago, after having served four years

兩年前，也就是我在美國海軍陸戰隊服役

in the United States Marine Corps

且被調度到伊拉克還有阿富汗

and deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan,

四年之後，

I found myself in Port-au-Prince, leading a team

我到了太子港(海地首都)，

of veterans and medical professionals

帶領一個由退役軍人和醫療專業人士所組成的團隊，

in some of the hardest-hit areas of that city,

在地震後三天，去了一些城市中

three days after the earthquake.

受重創的地方。

We were going to the places that nobody else wanted to go,

我們打算去沒有人要去的地方，

the places nobody else could go, and after three weeks,

而且也沒有人可以去的地方，在三周後，

we realized something. Military veterans

我們了解了一些事。退役軍人

are very, very good at disaster response.

非常善於處理災難緊急狀況。

And coming home, my cofounder and I,

在回家的路上，我和我的共同創辦人，

we looked at it, and we said, there are two problems.

討論到兩個問題。

The first problem is there's inadequate disaster response.

第一個問題是訓練不足的災難應變。

It's slow. It's antiquated. It's not using the best technology,

反應很慢，像骨董一樣。沒有應用最好的科技，

and it's not using the best people.

同時也沒有將人員配置到適合的位置。

The second problem that we became aware of

我們發現的第二個問題，

was a very inadequate veteran reintegration,

是沒有妥善地重新整合退役軍人資料，

and this is a topic that is front page news right now

這就是現在的頭版新聞標題，

as veterans are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan,

當退役軍人正從伊拉克和阿富汗回來的時候，

and they're struggling to reintegrate into civilian life.

他們很難能重新融入平民生活。

And we sat here and we looked at these two problems,

當時我們坐著，思考這兩個問題，

and finally we came to a realization. These aren't problems.

最後我們才領悟到，這些並不是問題所在。

These are actually solutions. And what do I mean by that?

這些其實是解決之道。我這麼說是什麼意思？

Well, we can use disaster response as an opportunity

我們可將災難應變視為

for service for the veterans coming home.

要回家的退役軍人的服務機會。

Recent surveys show that 92 percent of veterans want

最近的調查顯示百分之92的退役軍人

to continue their service when they take off their uniform.

脫下制服的時候，仍想持續付出。

And we can use veterans to improve disaster response.

我們可用退役軍人來改善災難應變。

Now on the surface, this makes a lot of sense, and in 2010,

單就表面來看，這很合理，在2010年時，

we responded to the tsunami in Chile,

我們對智利的海嘯，

the floods in Pakistan, we sent training teams to the Thai-Burma border.

還有巴基斯坦的水災都做出對應，我們將訓練團隊送到泰國和緬甸的邊境。

But it was earlier this year, when one of our

今年更簡單，當我們當中

original members caused us to shift focus in the organization.

一個元老級的成員讓我們將重心轉移回組織中。

This is Clay Hunt. Clay was a Marine with me.

這是 Clay Hunt 。 Clay 跟我一樣是海軍陸戰隊。

We served together in Iraq and Afghanistan.

我們一起在伊拉克和阿富汗服役。

Clay was with us in Port-au-Prince. He was also with us in Chile.

我們在太子港跟智利時，他也都在。

Earlier this year, in March, Clay took his own life.

今年稍早，三月的時候， Clay 自殺了。

This was a tragedy, but it really forced us

這真是個悲劇，但這驅使我們

to refocus what it is that we were doing.

重新檢視我們在做的到底是什麼。

You know, Clay didn't kill himself because of what happened

你要知道， Clay 並不是因為在伊朗和阿富汗發生的事

in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clay killed himself

才自殺。他自殺

because of what he lost when he came home.

是因為他回家時失去的東西。

He lost purpose. He lost his community.

他失去目標。他失去他的社交圈。

And perhaps most tragically, he lost his self-worth.

或許最悲慘的是，他失去他的自我價值。

And so, as we evaluated, and as the dust settled

於是當我們衡量的時候，當這個悲劇落幕的時候，

from this tragedy, we realized that, of those two problems --

我們了解這兩個問題 --

in the initial iteration of our organization,

剛開始我提到我們的組織，

we were a disaster response organization that was using

我們是一個運用退役軍人的

veteran service. We had a lot of success,

災難應變組織。我們有很多成功事蹟，

and we really felt like we were changing the disaster response paradigm.

而且我們真的覺得我們改變了災難應變的典範。

But after Clay, we shifted that focus, and suddenly,

但在 Clay 自殺後，我們轉移重心，

now moving forward, we see ourselves

現在往前看時，突然間，我們視自己為

as a veteran service organization that's using disaster response.

善於災難應變的退役軍人組織。

Because we think that we can give that purpose

因為我們認為我們可以將目標，

and that community and that self-worth back to the veteran.

團體和自我價值帶回給退役軍人。

And tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, and then later

在塔斯卡盧薩和賈柏林的龍捲風，還有之後的

Hurricane Irene, gave us an opportunity to look at that.

颶風 Irene ，都給我們檢視的機會。

Now I want you to imagine for a second an 18-year-old boy

現在我要你們想像一個18歲的男孩，

who graduates from high school in Kansas City, Missouri.

剛從密蘇里州堪薩斯城的高中畢業。

He joins the Army. The Army gives him a rifle.

他加入軍隊，軍隊給他一把步槍。

They send him to Iraq.

他們將他送到伊拉克。

Every day he leaves the wire with a mission.

每天他離開軍隊有一個任務。

That mission is to defend the freedom of the family that he left at home.

任務就是捍衛他離開的家人的自由。

It's to keep the men around him alive.

幫助在他身邊的人活下去。

It's to pacify the village that he works in.

帶給他工作的村落和平。

He's got a purpose. But he comes home [to] Kansas City, Missouri,

他有個目標。但當他回到密蘇里州堪薩斯城時，

maybe he goes to college, maybe he's got a job,

他可能去上大學，可能找個工作，

but he doesn't have that same sense of purpose.

但他卻沒有感受到相同的使命感。

You give him a chainsaw. You send him to Joplin, Missouri

你給他一把鋸子，送他到密蘇里州的賈柏林小鎮，

after a tornado, he regains that.

在那小鎮受到龍捲風摧殘後，他重新得到使命感。

Going back, that same 18-year-old boy graduates from high school

再往回想，同一個十八歲的男孩從密蘇里州

in Kansas City, Missouri, joins the Army,

堪薩斯城的高中畢業，加入軍隊，

the Army gives him a rifle, they send him to Iraq.

軍隊給他一把步槍，他們送他到伊拉克。

Every day he looks into the same sets of eyes around him.

每天他環視他身邊一樣的好幾對眼睛。

He leaves the wire. He knows that those people have his back.

他離開基地。他知道這些人在保護他。

He's slept in the same sand. They've lived together.

他們睡在一樣的沙地上。他們住在一起。

They've eaten together. They've bled together.

他們一起吃飯。他們一起流血。

He goes home to Kansas City, Missouri.

他回到密蘇里州堪薩斯城的家中。

He gets out of the military. He takes his uniform off.

他離開軍隊。他褪下制服。

He doesn't have that community anymore.

他不再擁有那樣的團體。

But you drop 25 of those veterans in Joplin, Missouri,

但你將25位退役軍人丟到密蘇里州的賈柏林小鎮，

they get that sense of community back.

他們再次得到團隊的感覺。

Again, you have an 18-year-old boy who graduates

再來一次，一個十八歲的男孩從密蘇里州

high school in Kansas City.

堪薩斯城的高中畢業。

He joins the Army. The Army gives him a rifle.

他加入軍隊，軍隊給他一把步槍。

They send him to Iraq.

他們送他去伊拉克。

They pin a medal on his chest. He goes home to a ticker tape parade.

他們在他胸膛別上一枚勳章。 他回家還參與了盛大歡迎的遊行隊伍。

He takes the uniform off. He's no longer Sergeant Jones

他褪下制服。他不再是他團隊裡的中士 Jones ，

in his community. He's now Dave from Kansas City.

他現在是堪薩斯城的 Dave ，

He doesn't have that same self-worth.

他不再有相同的自我價值。

But you send him to Joplin after a tornado,

但你在龍捲風侵襲後送他到賈柏林小鎮，

and somebody once again is walking up to him

再一次有個人走向前，

and shaking their hand and thanking them for their service,

握他們的手，謝謝他們的服務，

now they have self-worth again.

他們再次得到自我價值。

I think it's very important, because right now

我想這是非常重要的，因為現在

somebody needs to step up,

有人需要往上爬，

and this generation of veterans has the opportunity

而這個世代的退役軍人有機會可以這麼做，

to do that if they are given the chance.

如果他們被給予機會的話。

Thank you very much. (Applause)

謝謝你們。