TAMPA, Fla. — With the Fourth of July Tuesday, we know many people in the Bay Area will launch fireworks in their neighborhoods, but you may want to think twice about where you launch them.
D.J. Reyes is a retired U.S. Army colonel. He served in active duty for more than 33 years making several deployments.
"Especially in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa," said Reyes.
Now, he's a veteran's activist.
Soldiers are eligible for retirement after serving 20 years on active duty. With that, he told me, we now have an entire generation of soldiers who've spent their entire careers being deployed to combat zones.
"That's a sobering fact, but why that's significant is now these men and women are now transitioning back to the civilian society," said Reyes.
He said for many of these veterans, that transition could prove to be difficult.
"There are casualties of war, whether it's physical disabilities or mental health disabilities," said Reyes.
The numbers support his point. According to Veterans Affairs, seven out of every 100 veterans live with post-traumatic stress disorder, which is why launching fireworks in your neighborhood could negatively impact veterans.
"In normal life, that would otherwise be normal to you in me, such as a Fourth of July event where there's loud, sudden explosions. We all know what that is. They're firecrackers and pyrotechnics. If you put that in the perspective of a veteran, especially a combat veteran, that type of stimuli, you can well imagine that that could well trigger some or manifest itself in some behavior," said Reyes.
Furthermore, shooting fireworks don't just impact veterans. Pets, such as dogs, also aren't fans. Keep in mind, many veterans living with PTSD have emotional support dogs.
"And you have to understand, the purpose of that animal is to keep that veteran stable, on track and okay," explained Reyes.
Reyes said the message isn't about not having fun. Rather, it's about understanding that we all have different experiences in life that impact our realities.
"I would ask the community – I know there's a lot of people who want to shoot their own fireworks and I think that's totally fine and appropriate all within the appropriate city and county ordinances, instead of, perhaps, taking them and going out in the middle of the street and launching them. Or launching them adjacent to somebody's lawn, you never can tell who lives there," said Reyes.
