The side effects of the Iraq War

Just one of them, the impact of PTSD.

The front page article of the Sunday Times delved into a multi-part series about veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq and the violent crimes they have committed since their return. According to the Times, 121 returned veterans have committed a killing since their return. Most of the victims have been their spouses or their children.

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The PTSD faced by soldiers after war has been a well documented fact for years. There is a connection between the trauma faced at war and the domestic violence reproduced at home when they attempt to return to their normal life. But despite knowing this, the services are limited. It is clear that the mental health needs of these young men and women that return maladjusted from the war are not a top priority concern of the people that are so readily sending them off to war.

The support for this trouble is thin, and the acknowledgment of it is thinner. It would be nice if the DoD was tough enough to face this problem.