The American people never like to get their hands dirty; they are like site managers of construction zones who yell their demands, but when given the opportunity to get muddy with the rest of the crew, they retract. As a country that expresses everything extrovertly, we swell with patriotism during national holidays, successes, and during election season; we flex our American muscles to the rest of the world to prove that we truly are the “land of the Free and the home of the Brave.” The United States is, without a doubt, the land of the free—and we owe it all to the Brave—our American soldiers who risk their lives daily to keep the sense of security you and I wake up to each morning. Nevertheless, it is not without a price; our heroes return changed and jaded, clearly a result of the pains of war that we can only read about. But is this a fair deal? Thousands of soldiers fight overseas for their home, only to return to a place that does not quite feel like a place of comfort or security. They return feeling alienated and lost, and struggle with finding a steady income to support their families while dealing with emotional and/or physical distress and pain. We must ask ourselves if there is room to do more for the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. In an effort to provide more assistance to veterans, we should develop more VA hospitals, employ more veterans and educate the public on the trials that soldiers face upon their return home. As Americans it is our responsibility to protect those who protect us; it is a debt we should all willingly want to repay.
Since 2001, there have been more veterans who have taken their own lives due to the stress and anxiety of war than those who were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the most common consequence veterans face after war; each quarter, the number of PTSD cases increases more than 5% and the cases of depression increase 6-7 percent. It is a rising problem, and not everyone is treated. Since the wars began, 16 percent of troops were documented for being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder; however, the VA reports that only about half of the veterans are actually receiving help. To put into perspective how many people are essentially suffering from post-traumatic stress, the number is just below the over 47,000 people who were physically wounded in the war, according to an article from Mental Health Weekly Digest. The bottom line is that there are simply not enough VA hospitals—the current demand for care is already alarming, and with the expected year-end return of thousands of troops, this is an imminent problem. While the PTSD rate is climbing, so are suicide rates—President Obama had to approve a motion that allowed the distribution of sympathy letters to the relatives of soldiers who committed suicide while on the battlefield. It is feared that many soldiers will never even make it to the point of even seeking treatment for PTSD.
We can no longer ignore the need to provide support for returning veterans from war; not only are they suffering internally with the horrific, unimaginable details of battle, but many are struggling with finding work. According to CNN’s White House correspondent Alexander Mooney, the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is significantly higher than the nationwide unemployment rate at a whopping 12.1 percent. Men and women are returning home from the unstable conditions of war to an unstable economy in the United States, where there is absolutely no guarantee that they will be able to transition back to civilian life. Over 850,000 veterans are unemployed, and those who do find jobs are often overqualified for the positions they hold. Finding work is not only important for veterans because it provides a stable income, but it also keeps a sense of significance and responsibility that the military once offered. Psychologist Peter D. Kramer believes that after leaving the military, many soldiers lose the “purpose, focus, achievement . . . and “belongingness” that the military provides, and there is unquestionably “no substitute for what jobs offer in the way of structure, support, and meaning” to a soldier returning from war.
