Taya Kyle discusses post-traumatic stress and foreign deployments with CIA workforce

On May 7, CIA welcomed Taya Kyle to its Headquarters where she met with Agency employees and provided remarks on post-traumatic stress and the challenges of field deployments for family members of military, first responder, and intelligence employees.

Kyle is the author of American Wife and widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle.  She is also the founder of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation in honor of her late husband, a US Navy SEAL and author of the best-selling books, American Sniper and American Gun.  The Foundation is devoted to strengthening the marriages of veterans and first responders.

Kyle addressed several issues during her remarks at CIA, including recognizing signs or symptoms of post-traumatic stress, seeking help, and the importance of maintaining open communications with family and friends.  Her visit also included a working lunch with CIA employees.

“We are honored to host Mrs. Kyle and to learn from her experiences as we seek to enhance awareness of post-traumatic stress and the impact of war zone or other dangerous field deployments on our officers and their families,” said CIA Deputy Director David Cohen.  “The men and women of CIA are asked to serve in war zones and other dangerous locations to protect this country and inform its policy makers.  We are grateful to the Kyle family for their tremendous efforts to ensure that our officers and their families have the knowledge and resources they need to overcome challenges often associated with such deployments.”

Kyle’s visit was co-hosted by CIA’s Resiliency Working Group (RWG) and by CIA’s American Veterans Employee Resource Group (AVERG).  The RWG seeks to raise awareness of issues related to mental health, to include post-traumatic stress and suicide, and promote resiliency through education, training, and the promotion of CIA resources.  AVERG was formally established in 2013 to serve as an advocate for veterans, and actively supports a range of initiatives at CIA such as recruiting Wounded Warriors and helping educate the workforce about laws that govern veteran’s issues.

Source: CIA