I think it's a fair to say that as Americans, we love and respect the men and women who sign up to fight our wars and protect our rights, liberty, and all of that good stuff that we take for granted daily. We throw parades when they return, we sing about them on our country albums, and we make sure we point them out at our baseball games. So naturally, you would think that if there was a serious issue that directly affected our soldiers, those embodiments of the American spirit, we'd do something to address it immediately!
You'd think that, but for some reason, this doesn't seem to be the case. According to a report from the Department of Defense, in the last ten years 4,989 military personnel have died in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Within that same time frame 2,293 active military personnel took their own lives. There have been 67 confirmed suicides of active duty members and 118 confirmed of off-duty members.
When many soldiers sign up to join the armed forces, it's easy to only worry about dealing with the obvious obstacles: injury, being away from home, and the threat of death. But the unforeseeable threats are the ones to be most feared. When you enlist, you not only sign up to wage war against the enemies of our country, but also you are volunteering to fight a war to protect your peace of mind. And even when you return home, you're still fighting the second war.
One is tempted to ask anyone involved with journalism why this story isn't being given the attention it deserves, but deep down we all pretty much know the answer. A notion has been created at some point that America doesn't need to hear a story that will portray us as the "losing side". I can see from a publicity standpoint that reporting this story frequently will make the general public feel like the war is bleak, and if our soldiers don't see any hope, then why should we?
However, by discussing this issue in a public forum, then maybe we can take steps closer to solving this crisis. Countless programs like Warrior Care and the Wounded Warrior Project are paying attention to caring for veterans who suffer from unseen injuries like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and other forms of psychological damage.
Even though the problem is slowly being addressed, word needs to be spread about this problem before it's too late to do anything. With this sort of problem that isn't easily identified, it is important to have an informed public so anyone can help and keep good men and women from becoming another statistic.
