Unless we have family or friends serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, most of us are carrying on with our lives as we normally do. We shop, work, and follow our favorite sports teams. Meanwhile, American soldiers are suffering from depression and committing suicide.
Military statistics claim 16 soldiers died in Afghanistan and Iraq in January 2009. What's most disturbing is the suicide rate for military personnel in the same month. There were at least 24 confirmed suicides, according to Pentagon statistics released earlier this year. Military personnel are alarmed that more soldiers died from their own hands than from enemy gunfire.
In 2008, the Army confirmed at least 128 soldiers committed suicide with an additional 15 suspected of committing suicide. To prevent suicide and depression, the military has added training that will teach its leaders to be more active in recognizing suicidal tendencies and depression.
Unfortunately, the training will only serve troops during their military stints. What happens after these troops leave the military? Will they receive lifetime counseling and therapy for handling depression and the loss of their comrades? Will counseling be available for the soldiers who come home to find out their wives have been playing house with other men? From personal experience, I can relate to the hardships facing a discharged war veteran. My father is a Vietnam War veteran. Since returning home from Vietnam, his life changed.
For him, arriving home was worse than dealing with any Vietnamese snipers. He didn’t get the same hero treatment my grandfather received after serving in World War II. My father never received anything after surviving his combat tour. Instead of a parade, fellow Americans called him a baby killer.
He has put Vietnam behind him, but he has never forgotten the treatment he received from fellow Americans. He is no longer a carefree college student from the 60s. He is a former killer who still can’t explain why he was made to take the life of a yellow skinned stranger in the name of honor and country. For veterans coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq, they may experience similar hardships. Many returning veterans will be bitter while others arrive home missing the arms and legs they had at birth.
Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will learn that the real war starts after they return home and adapt back into their former life.
Military statistics claim 16 soldiers died in Afghanistan and Iraq in January 2009. What's most disturbing is the suicide rate for military personnel in the same month. There were at least 24 confirmed suicides, according to Pentagon statistics released earlier this year. Military personnel are alarmed that more soldiers died from their own hands than from enemy gunfire.
In 2008, the Army confirmed at least 128 soldiers committed suicide with an additional 15 suspected of committing suicide. To prevent suicide and depression, the military has added training that will teach its leaders to be more active in recognizing suicidal tendencies and depression.
Unfortunately, the training will only serve troops during their military stints. What happens after these troops leave the military? Will they receive lifetime counseling and therapy for handling depression and the loss of their comrades? Will counseling be available for the soldiers who come home to find out their wives have been playing house with other men? From personal experience, I can relate to the hardships facing a discharged war veteran. My father is a Vietnam War veteran. Since returning home from Vietnam, his life changed.
For him, arriving home was worse than dealing with any Vietnamese snipers. He didn’t get the same hero treatment my grandfather received after serving in World War II. My father never received anything after surviving his combat tour. Instead of a parade, fellow Americans called him a baby killer.
He has put Vietnam behind him, but he has never forgotten the treatment he received from fellow Americans. He is no longer a carefree college student from the 60s. He is a former killer who still can’t explain why he was made to take the life of a yellow skinned stranger in the name of honor and country. For veterans coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq, they may experience similar hardships. Many returning veterans will be bitter while others arrive home missing the arms and legs they had at birth.
Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will learn that the real war starts after they return home and adapt back into their former life.
No comments:
Post a Comment