Too Little, Too Late? For many veterans, the war doesn’t end with the last shot of battle. They carry their wounds, both physical and psychological, back home. Unfortunately, statistics continue to show that despite the best efforts of government and community based organizations, many veterans and their families are slipping through the cracks. Veterans and Families will mobilize returning soldiers, families, employers, and subject area experts to identify where the cracks are, and provide actionable data that helps families, providers, and employers successfully re-socialize veterans into relationships, parenting, and employment.
Increase in combat-stress disorders.. A recent New England Journal of Medicine study found that 15-17 percent of U.S. Iraq veterans were suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition strongly correlated with high rates of depression, suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse.
“The Army’s study found that only one-third of soldiers who wanted help actually got it.” (Associated Press on Army’s first-ever survey of mental health in a combat zone, March 26, 2004.)
“Our findings indicate that…the subjects reported important barriers to receiving medical health services, particularly the perception of stigma among those most in need of such care.”
To View the full GAO report on this VA crisis Click Here
Increase in suicides.. The Army reports that 23 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have committed suicide in the past year. At least 7 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have committed suicide since returning home. In 2003, the US Army reported that the suicide rate among soldiers increased from an 8 year average of 11.9 per 100,000 to 15.6 per 100,000.
“The Army’s study found that only one-third of soldiers who wanted help actually got it.” (Associated Press on Army’s first-ever survey of mental health in a combat zone, March 26, 2004.)
Increased strain on VA system. According to a 2004 VA study by 31 veteran service organizations, Veterans Affairs (VA) programs are failing to keep pace with inflation and the growing needs of veterans. For example, the number of veterans using the VA system has risen from 2.9 million in 1995 to 5 million in 2003.. Inflation adjusted spending for VA mental health services has declined by 25 percent over the past seven years. Now a downsized VA system is faced with the additional burden of trying to help the hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“If we’re going to commit them to fighting for the nation, we need to commit to providing every resource for them when they come home. It’s a covenant,” said Steve Robinson, Executive Director of the veterans’ National Gulf War Resource Center.
Increase in employment difficulties.. Successfully integrating with civilian employers is a long documented challenge that faces active duty soldiers who separate from the military. This challenge is compounded for those exposed to the psychological trauma of combat, and further complicated by the mass mobilization of citizen soldiers (National Guard and Reserve) who are being deployed to combat theaters. More than 355,000 Guard and Reservists have been mobilized since 9/11/01, and these units are currently logging five times more duty hours than they did in the 1990s. The employment difficulties these units are encountering upon their return home, helps illustrate the problem. U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that more than 3,500 demobilized Reservists and Guardsman have filed complaints against their employers in the past year. And according to the Secretary of Defense Office of Family Policy, 41 percent of Activated Reserve families experience financial stress.
Brandon Ratliff, survived a nine-month tour in Afghanistan, but faced job difficulties when he returned and committed suicide on March 18, 2004. “He’d seen horrific things,” said his mother, Susan Coats. “He saw a buddy blown up by a landmine. He carried body parts….then he learned his job had been given to someone else. He was very upset.” (USA Today, 6/29/04).
"Work related difficulties...are likely to be a major focus among veterans of the Iraq War. Part-time military employees or reservists face unique employment challenges post-deployment. Employers vary significantly in the amount of emotional and financial support they offer reservist employees..."("The Returning Veteran of the Iraq War: Background Issues and Assessment Guidelines," Brett Litz, PhD, and Susan M. Orsillo PhD, as published on www.ncptsd.org).
“There is a major concern about how guard and reserve troops are going to fare, particularly now that their tours are being extended,” Mathew Friedman, director of Department of Veterans Affairs at the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (7/1/04 NY Times).
More Research is Needed: While there are thousands of organizations dedicated to serving and supporting our military, veterans, and their families, the available empirical and statistical data tells us that significant obstacles and service gaps continue to confront homecoming veterans and their families. There is currently no national organization dedicated to studying the full continuum of psychological and emotional readjustment needs of veterans, their families, and employers following separation from the military. The actionable research to be produced by Veterans and Families will greatly assist existing providers in ensuring “no one falls through the cracks.”
“More research is…needed on the return of service members from deployment and the reunion and reintegration of families. This includes the long-term effects of and the best ways to assist families during these phases, especially during and after repeated deployments”-National Military Families Association Study, “Serving the Homefront: An Analysis of Military Family Support from Sept. 11, 2001-March 31, 2004.”
A True Homecoming This Time
Let’s not make the same mistakes we did during the Vietnam era, when we didn’t understand the devastating effects of PTSD or the comprehensive needs of veterans attempting to re-integrate into civilian life. With the prospect of fighting a long-term War on Terror, the challenge for veterans and their families is likely to become greater. Veterans and Families directly addresses these challenges, by thoroughly researching the post-military re-socialization needs of those who sacrifice for our freedom, and by providing accessible support resources that connect veterans, their families, and employers with the help they need. The Veterans and Families organization asks you to embrace the motto of all our soldiers in the field: “No one left behind.”
“Mental health professionals say they fear the system is not moving fast enough to treat the trauma. They say slowness to recognize what was happening to Vietnam veterans contributed to the psychological devastation from that war. "When we missed the boat with the Vietnam vets, we didn't get another chance," said Jerry Clark, director of the veterans clinic in Alexandria, Va. "When they left the service, they went away not for a month or two but for 10 years. And they came back addicted, incarcerated and all these things. We can't miss the boat again. It is imperative" (LA Times, 11/14/04)
(New England Journal of Medicine, July 1, 2004)
“We cannot afford to waste any time in preparing to address this important matter. Our troops will be coming home to a system that, in many cases, is treading water just to meet current veterans’ mental health needs,” said Evans. “GAO’s independent findings should send a message to us all that DoD and VA must improve their preparation and capacity to meet the increased demand in mental health services from returning troops and their families.” (The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Sept 2004)
“Before the war, LaBranche was living in Saco, Maine, with his wife and children and had no history of mental illness. He deployed to Iraq with a National Guard transportation company... He came home a different person. Just three days after he was discharged from Walter Reed, he was arrested for threatening his former wife…(and) he could be looking at jail time. He lies on a couch at his brother's house most days now, struggling with the image of the Iraqi woman who died in his arms after he shot her, and the children he says caught some of his bullets…” (LA Times, 11/14/04).
"The bad news is that the study underestimated the prevalence of what we are going to see down the road," said Dr. Matthew J. Friedman, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Dartmouth Medical School who is executive director of the VA's National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Since the study was completed, Friedman said: "The complexion of the war has changed into a grueling counterinsurgency. And that may be very important in terms of the potential toxicity of this combat experience" (LA Times, 11/14/04).
“Last year, 1,100 troops who had fought in Iraq or Afghanistan came to VA clinics seeking help for symptoms of depression or post-traumatic stress; this year, the number grew tenfold. In all, 23% of Iraq veterans treated at VA facilities have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,” (LA Times, 11/14/04).
