And so, as we evaluated, and as the dust settled from this tragedy,
经历这个悲剧后
we realized that, of those two problems --
我们重新思考了这两个问题
in the initial iteration of our organization,
最初我们这个组织
we were a disaster response organization that was using veteran service.
是个聘用退役军人的灾难管理组织
We had a lot of success,
当时我们已经相当成功
and we really felt like we were changing the disaster response paradigm.
我们也觉得我们改革了灾难管理的原状
But after Clay, we shifted that focus, and suddenly, now moving forward,
但是克莱之后,我们改变了方向,向前发展,
we see ourselves as a veteran service organization that's using disaster response.
我把我们自己视为一个应对灾难的退役军人组织
Because we think that we can give that purpose
因为我们认为我们能够重新
and that community and that self-worth back to the veteran.
赋予退役军人的对社群、人生目标和自我认同
And tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and Joplin, and then later Hurricane Irene,
在塔斯卡卢萨和乔普林市发生风灾后,还有后来的飓风艾琳,
gave us an opportunity to look at that.
我们有机会看清这一点
Now I want you to imagine for a second an 18-year-old boy
现在我要你想像一个十八岁的男孩
who graduates from high school in Kansas City, Missouri.
刚刚从密苏里州堪萨斯市的高中毕业
He joins the Army. The Army gives him a rifle.
加入了军队,军队给了他一支步枪
They send him to Iraq.
把他送到伊拉克
Every day he leaves the wire with a mission.
每一天他离开军营去参加任务
That mission is to defend the freedom of the family that he left at home.
捍卫他在家乡亲人的自由
It's to keep the men around him alive.
确保他身边的战友活命
It's to pacify the village that he works in.
维持他前往的那个村庄的和平
He's got a purpose.
他有目标。
But he comes home Kansas City, Missouri, maybe he goes to college, maybe he's got a job,
但是回到堪萨斯城,也许他到学院上课,也许他找到工作
but he doesn't have that same sense of purpose.
他不再有同样的目标感
You give him a chainsaw. You send him to Joplin, Missouri after a tornado, he regains that.
你给他一把链锯,在飓风过后,派他到乔普林市,他就找回了目标。
Going back, that same 18-year-old boy graduates from high school in Kansas City, Missouri, joins the Army,
回顾过去,那个同样的十八岁男孩从密苏里州堪萨斯市毕业,加入军队
the Army gives him a rifle, they send him to Iraq.
军队给他步枪,派遣他到伊拉克
Every day he looks into the same sets of eyes around him.
每一天他面对同样的脸孔
He leaves the wire. He knows that those people have his back.
离开军营,他知道这些队友会关照他
He's slept in the same sand. They've lived together.
他们睡在同样的沙地。他们一起生活。
They've eaten together. They've bled together.
他们一起吃饭。他们一起打拼。
He goes home to Kansas City, Missouri.
这个男孩回到堪萨斯市
He gets out of the military. He takes his uniform off.
他退出军队,褪下军服
He doesn't have that community anymore.
他没有同样的团队了
But you drop 25 of those veterans in Joplin, Missouri, they get that sense of community back.
但是当你遣送25个退役军人到乔普林市,他们找回同样的社群感
Again, you have an 18-year-old boy who graduates high school in Kansas City.
再一次,十八岁的男孩从堪萨斯市的高中毕业
He joins the Army. The Army gives him a rifle.
加入军队。军队给他步枪
They send him to Iraq.
送他到伊拉克
They pin a medal on his chest. He goes home to a ticker tape parade.
在他的胸前别上徽章。然后他回国参加退役阅兵仪式
He takes the uniform off. He's no longer Sergeant Jones in his community.
褪下军服后,他就不再是队伍中的琼斯中士
He's now Dave from Kansas City.
他现在是堪萨斯市的大卫
He doesn't have that same self-worth.
他没有同样的个人认同感
But you send him to Joplin after a tornado,
但是当飓风后你送他到乔普林市
and somebody once again is walking up to him
会有人走到他面前
and shaking their hand and thanking them for their service,
握他的手,感谢他的服务
now they have self-worth again.
现在他们又有同样的个人认同感了
I think it's very important, because right now somebody needs to step up,
我认为这是很重要的,因为现在总需要有人站出来
and this generation of veterans has the opportunity to do that if they are given the chance.
而恰恰我们这一代的退役军人做得到,只要我们给他们机会
Thank you very much.
谢谢大家