Colin Sheridan: Support for our Defence Forces troops needs to be quiet and consistent, not quick for clicks

After the trauma they endured, the returning soldiers need proper, and private, support from the Defence Forces, not to be paraded out to provide photo ops for grinning politicians

Members of the 124th Infantry Battalion will return home this week after spending practically all of their time in Lebanon either directly or indirectly under actual rocket fire. 

No matter how peaceful the deployment, returning home after a period of overseas service is a traumatic affair. It is the closest thing to being released from prison that, hopefully, any of us will ever experience. You go from living with one, very intense family to suddenly being back home with another. 

One, very deliberate routine, operated under specific conditions, to a veritable buffet of availability and emotions. Nothing dramatic must happen during your deployment for that to be the case. Literally nothing, yet the separation is such the readjustment is always profound.