Inner War

Young people listed in the US Armed Forces with the ideology to defend liberty, justice, and freedom.  They went overseas into a foreign land. They fought and some of them fell on the battle field. They will be returning home after 10 years of a brutal and savage long war, but it seems that our brave soldiers will not come back the same way as  they left.

Many citizens enrolled into the military forces because the military offered many benefits such as: paying higher education, health care, cash allowances, vacations, and many others. However, those benefits did not cover the psychological problems the soldiers developed due to having been pushed to their limits or  having killed innocent people.

The Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans are committing suicide, once they return at home. Our veterans rate of suicide is 22 soldiers per day  reported by 21 states- according to The New York Times, CNN, and AP. This rate is due in part to an unstable economy. They are haunted by their nightmares and the struggle to justify their involvement in the taking of innocent lives. Other factors affecting the troops are: the lack of support from the government and the lost of their friends and comrades.

In addition, one of the biggest stigmas in the military branches is to seek help. Soldiers are trained to be tough and emotionless, and the only way they can cope with their problems is to keep it to themselves. After, help is practically "denied" soldiers embrace those memories and lock them in a dark space in their minds. 

Soldiers sometimes do not find a warm welcome back at home. Sometimes civilians (those whom do not serve the military) would ask them: Why did you go to Afghanistan or Iraq to kill innocent people?  After, they listen to questions similar to the one above they begin to have flashbacks. They feel accused and judged by the population they protected. These accusation coupled with their traumatic memories pushes our brave soldiers toward suicide.



 However, there is hope for our veterans, now the Obama administration is helping our soldiers overcome those nightmares. "President Barack Obama says there is a need to "end this epidemic of suicide among our veterans and troops." In August 2012, he signed an executive order calling for stronger suicide prevention efforts. A year later, he announced $107 million in new funding for better metal heath treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, signature injuries of the was in Afghanistan and Iraq" reported CNN on September 21, 2013.
   
After a long journey of suffering and devastation, was the war in Afghanistan and Iraq worth it? We sent our troops to one uncertain life abroad. Their families are living in constant fear of the uncertainty of whether or not their boys and girls will return home. This is the image of America; a nation of bullies. Our government will deploy any action necessary to preserve resources to keep this nation running.

   

Sources

"Suicide Outpacing War Deaths for Troops." The New York Times. by Timothy Williams

 "Military suicide rate hit record high in 2012." by Bill Briggs 

"Suicide Rate Among Vets and Active Duty Military Jumps - Now 22 A Day."