Beyond “Thank you for your service.”

Care for vets and active-duty military is an obligation

The Veteran’s Administration has just announced it will give more than $53 million to suicide prevention programs for military veterans. The money guarantees that those who served will get free help and can access it by phone – dial 988 and press 1 --  or in an online chat at the VeteransCrisisLine.net.

All I can say is it’s about time

The problem of suicide in the military began to get attention about a decade ago when researchers confirmed that soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were more likely die at home than they had been in combat.  In 2022 (the last year with good data) 16 veteran suicides happened every day. This amounted to one-quarter of all suicides in America.

What’s going on? The answer is a lot of things including:

Untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  It’s easy to see how PTSD would affect soldiers who were in direct combat. However, anyone in a theater of war could be traumatized by living under the constant threat of attack. Or they could be traumatized by seeing and helping the severely wounded. Anyone could be traumatized by seeing soldiers turned into amputees or suffering brain damage after being exposed to blasts. I had this experience transporting the wounded in one of the airplanes I flew in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s something I’ll never forget.

Never Being Able to Match the Feeling Again- Being at war is so misunderstood by the population at large, that I sometimes laugh to myself when I tell someone that I was in Iraq, and their face turns to concern and compassion like I must be some broken soul. The truth is, being at war is one of the most satisfying feelings, not because of the fighting, but because its a very clear mission, you’re hanging out with your friends, and really you have reached the physical and mental apex of your life. The problem is, you come home and try to recreate that bond and closeness, and sense of purpose. And you can’t, you chase the dragon as they say, and this can lead to depression.

Maladaptation To Civilian Life – This is a big one. Rigorous training and in-country experience of being a soldier at war come with an intensity far greater than you’ll find in any job or day-to-day civilian life.  In war, you bond with fellow military personnel and become accustomed to knowing that they have your back. At home, you may find a job but find it completely unsatisfying. At the same time, family and friends may be uncomfortable with the fact that you are not the person you were before you joined the military.  They constantly monitor you and may even judge you from moment to moment. This is no way to live.

Moral Injury. The problem of returning to civilian life after warfighting, in which you must kill the enemy, can create psychological turmoil. Of course, military training prepares men and women to function as killers in combat. But at home, where killing is forbidden, how do you deal with the fact that your duty required killing? While I’m not sure this is a huge contributing factor, it’s certainly a piece for some. But most military members never kill anyone.

Military Culture  In the services the stigma that comes with receiving mental health care, or even inquiring about it, is extremely powerful. Military personnel who consider seeking counseling or medication believe their superiors and fellow soldiers will find out (typically they do) and begin to lose trust and may change their assignments.

Some veterans and active-duty members of the military are great at faking it and never show signs of distress before committing suicide. However, in most cases, they exhibit anger or rage, suffer from depression,  abuse alcohol and/or drugs, and even talk about having no reason to live. If you notice this, the hotline and website are there for you to learn about resources you can mention in conversation.

Everyone talks about welcoming veterans home and, out of habit, tells members of the military, “Thank you for your service.”   Help for those who served represents our gratitude in a more concrete way.

Please do consider becoming a paid subscriber to help with this mission, to call out extremism