Section II

One of the biggest issues that the war has brought soldiers and family members is suicide. The graph above shows soldiers committing suicide rose for the fourth straight year in 2008, reaching the highest level in nearly three decades. At least one hundred and twenty eight soldiers killed themselves last year causing the army suicide rate to surpass the civilian according to army statistics. There has not been a certain reason for the rise in numbers, but officials think that fifteen month deployments to war zones had a big part to do with it. Receiving very short time away from the combat field has lead to things such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol abuse and family problems (Alvarez). According to officials the most common factors in suicide are financial, personal, job related difficulties, and legal problems. In the last four years thirty percent of the suicides occurred during a deployment.

Thirty five percent occurred after a deployment. The last thirty five percent were never deployed (Alvarez). There are many ways to try and reduce the suicides from occurring, but this problem to this day continues to rise, leaving family members and friend’s heart broken.

One major problem that soldiers face returning from the war is becoming homeless. Some things that can contribute to the cause of becoming homeless are high rates of post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, which could lead to unstable actions and substance abuse, and the long repeated tours (Eckholm). This is becoming a huge issue for the military with the number of homeless soldiers continuing to rise. Among the one million veterans who have served following September 11, seventy two thousand are paying over half of their income causing them to be that much more vulnerable to causing homelessness. According to the V.A. in 2006 on any given night one hundred and ninety six thousand veterans of all ages were homeless. Soldiers are having no where to stay after risking their lives to fight in the war and this is one of the many problems and issues that the war has caused on our brave and courageous troops.

An issue that affects the whole family as well as the soldier serving is the cycle of deployment. Characteristics that soldiers asses prior to this are denial and anticipation of loss which can lead to more stress. It is very difficult for the spouse and children to prepare themselves for when its time for the soldier to deploy. The soldier’s departure creates a hole which can lead to feelings of numbness, sadness, being alone or abandonment, for many this stage is a very discomforting and disorganizing experience (Pincus).Deployment brings mixed emotions/relief, overwhelmed, sleep difficulty, security issues and much more.

Health care is a major issue for soldiers in this war and has been for several years. According to Major Capes the ROTC teacher facilities have improved, standard care has improved, and more emphasis on identify and treating mental issues that occurred during the war has improved. He believes there are still some areas that need improvement such as long term care facilities, and better tracking and follow up on injuries. Major Capes thinks that the government’s commitment to those who risk their lives for our country should be medical care for life as promised. Ways to resolve some issues could be better tracking of mental injuries and more emphasis on identifying the injuries that soldiers receive.