War made the partnership…love sustains it

Courtesy Photo | Krista Argiolas, WCT Behavioral Therapist truly loves our Georgian brothers at arms.  

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES

12.05.2017

Courtesy Story

Army Recovery Care Program

War made the partnership…love sustains it
By: MaryTherese Griffin, Warrior Care and Transition

ARLINGTON, Va. - An Army Major, an Army Captain and Civilian all walked into the country of Georgia… sounds like the start of a joke right? This was no joke. Last month The Georgians partnered with the United States in building a comprehensive plan for Wounded Warrior Care and Amputee Rehabilitation.

The Civilian was Krista Argiolas, the Behavioral Health Consultant for The Army’s Warrior Care and Transition in Arlington Va. From October seventh through November fourth, Argiolas was joined by Major Nicole Brown, a Physical Therapist from the Walter Reed Medical Center and Captain Joshua Springer an Occupational therapist from Ft. Gordon, Ga. The team went to share best practices with a key ally in the war on terror at the request of The Office of Defense Cooperation Georgia.

“What was really exciting was being able to share our mission with folks who think similarly who believe that they have an obligation to take care of those who have done so much for them.” Argiolas refers to the 198 Georgian service members, 42 of which are amputees, currently enrolled in the Wounded and Injured Warrior Program.

We must be doing something right at the WCT according to Argiolas as other countries including Georgia are working hard to reach our standard of care. In Georgia the military standard practice for those with severe injuries and or illnesses was to discharge from the armed forces. In an effort to do the right thing for their country’s newly disabled Soldiers, they are sent home and are kept on active duty with full pay. The negative impact of this current system is a reduction in the Georgian fighting force as these Soldiers continue to fill limited military positions. This long term convalescent leave solution presents a financial drain on the Ministry of Defense with no current plan to discharge Soldiers. The current convalescent leave policy does have a defined limit (100 months) by ministerial decree.

The visiting team from the US wanted to instill what they believe to be THE most important practice we use at our WCT. —“The total care of the service member and their family and that is the strongest message that we wanted to share because it really does take a team,” and Argiolas believes The NATO membership-seeking nation is on their way.

“Warrior Care is still relatively new in the Country of Georgia. It’s a smaller country, smaller military, the number of their wounded, ill and injured are small so it’s taken a while for that to permeate the national consciousness but they are working really hard and are getting there.”

She believes in the mission- “We still have people who put their lives on the line every day so that we can have the opportunity to live the way we want to live. And frankly we are so blessed in this country with opportunity.” It’s easy to recognize the pride in Georgia and how they are curious about what we do here.

The three had some language barriers over the month long mission but communicated through an interpreter. Even with a language barrier Argiolas picked up on their desires loud and clear.

“At the end of the day what really stood out to me was just a genuine desire to live. To live and to live well and happily and comfortably. They all have a genuine curiosity about how we do business and I was struck by that. They are very proud of their service for their country and they were really focused on just healing and fellowship."

Argiolas is thankful to the US Congress for recognizing the importance of the WCT mission here in the United States. “In spite of the challenges, we still have and experience organizationally we are leaders in this area. We provide world class care which is why other countries are seeking us out to see how we do business. They are interested in identifying best practices and combining it with their own culture and their own ethics."

Besides her feelings of compassion and desire to help Argiolas left Georgia with a sense of pride.

“When you have other countries come and want to emulate some of the things you’re doing then that means we are doing something right. I think everyone affiliated with Warrior Care and Transition should be very proud of that.”

• Date Taken: 12.05.2017
• Date Posted: 12.12.2017 14:37
• Story ID: 258484
• Location: ARLINGTON, VA, US