Why I wear a mask

While I’m not out and about much these days, my trips to such venues as the grocery store reveal that many of my neighbors are not wearing masks. I find this perplexing, scary, and heartbreaking. Allow me to explain.

Before continuing, two vital assumptions guiding my perspective. First, public health experts stand on firm scientific ground in recommending that we wear a mask when in close interaction with others. Second, mask-wearing is more to protect others than ourselves. It’s an act of respect and kindness to support the common good.

In the summer of 1971, I began my clinical social work career as a captain in the US Army’s Medical Service Corps focusing on the mental health needs of soldiers returning from overseas duty, primarily Vietnam.

Upon arrival to my initial assignment at Valley Forge General Hospital in eastern Pennsylvania, I was abruptly introduced to my primary area of responsibility — to work with amputee patients who were transitioning back to civilian life. Nearly 50 years later, memories of those initial days remain indelible: being escorted around Ward 4 and introduced to 160 men (barely men, as the average age was around 21) with arms and legs missing, some with multiple amputations. Most were draftees who had not desired to be a soldier; they had simply answered the call to duty, for their friends, their community, and their country. They had stepped into harm’s way for the common good.

What a profound price these men paid for their service — physical and emotional trauma, shattered dreams, months of agonizing rehab, and painful apprehension about what the future held. They were living a nightmare that for many continues to this day.

I still find myself unsettled by memories of the challenges my professional responsibilities then demanded. I desperately hoped that my several years of training had prepared me to oversee the social and psychological aspects of their rehabilitation for our interdisciplinary team. What could I possibly offer these men in their efforts to reconstruct a life that had been so savagely interrupted?

By the late ‘60s public sentiment had largely turned against the Vietnam War. In addition to everything else, a significant portion of the population viewed these men as despicable “baby killers.” Never mind that most had been drafted. Never mind that they had been brutally injured. “Thank you for your service” comments and veterans’ discounts would come years later. Men and women then, as now, served and risked their wellbeing for the common good. They truly are heroes.

For three years, I worked with hundreds of soldiers and their families. Many were amputee patients; many others had intact bodies, but were psychiatrically scared by their traumatic military experiences. Some were returning POWs, and some battled drug addictions. I am so honored to have played a minor role in their journey back to civilian life. I discovered later that some had adjusted rather well. Many did not. Most I have no idea. But their devotion and sacrifices for the common good will inspire me for the rest of my life.

For me, the bar had been set for what it means for one to serve the common good and assure freedom for the rest of us. Freedom isn’t just a birthright; it comes with responsibilities.

So what does this have to do with wearing a mask in 2020?

Mask-wearing, at its core, is a minor annoyance to promote the safety and wellbeing of others. When I see people at the grocery store or in other indoor settings refusing this inconsequential inconvenience, it evokes images of those courageous young men so many years ago who gave so much for the common good. Imagine telling them then that in 50 years American citizens wouldn’t even muster the sensitivity to wear a face mask to protect others during a global pandemic, claiming something about their freedom and rights. How could I have possibly explained what kind of a society we would become?

To my neighbors, if you appreciate what our healthcare professionals are doing to fight the virus, please wear a mask. If you are grateful for the courage of grocery store employees, food system workers, municipal employees, law enforcement officers—and the list goes on and on—please wear a mask. If you value the elderly or those with a compromised immune system who want the freedom to venture out in the community without fear of infection, please wear a mask.

If you truly wish to thank veterans for their unselfish service, please wear a mask.

We’re in this challenging time together, so let us help each other navigate these briefly turbulent white waters. By tending to the safety and wellbeing of others, we can help ourselves and those we love.