Dr. Nicolas Tenaglia, MD, Chairman of the Board at Malvern Treatment Centers shares some on veterans and addiction. On November 11th, we celebrate Veterans Day and I have the honor of walking in the New York City Veterans Day Parade.The New York City Veterans Day Parade, the largest celebration of service in America I entered the military in August of 1969 during the Vietnam War, and served on active duty as a major stationed at Fort Bragg in the Psychiatric division. During my time at Fort Bragg, I observed many servicemen getting caught with drugs in backpacks who had substance abuse issues. Most of these soldiers were sent home with dishonorable discharges and criminal records after serving their country.
It occurred to me that there had to be a way to help treat these men who developed addictions to deal with the stress of combat. I worked on drug treatment programs for servicemen whose records would be cleared upon successful completion. We did some experimenting with treatment approaches until we settled on a 90-day rehab program that had success. This program was one of the first drug treatment programs in the military because drug addiction was “unheard of” among servicemen before the Vietnam War.
I am proud to be a United States veteran, and Malvern Treatment Centers continues to treat veterans struggling with addiction today. Malvern Treatment Center’s Bethlehem outpatient location has a weekly veteran’s group.
Veteran’s Day Parade NYC:2017
This “Veterans Day USA” parade is the oldest and largest parade of its kind in the United States. The patriotic event features more than 40,000 participants, including veterans of all eras along with veteran supporters. They are accompanied by music performed by top high school bands from around the country.
Bands march up historic Fifth Avenue past iconic landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral as 500,000 spectators cheer them on. The NYC Veterans Day Parade is broadcast live on television, streamed live online around the world, and shown on Armed Forces TV. A highlights program is also shown later in the week in major cities across the USA. More Information on the parade