So for the past few months I've been researching Veteran's issues, the history (focusing on WW2 to present), and analyzing how it has become better or worse over time. It's definitely become worse, in nearly every way, for nearly every reason it could. Veterans are returning with physical injuries at higher rates now than in Vietnam or WW2, with mental health trauma at far higher rates. The few veterans means that there is a smaller support network, and one in two veterans (based on a few studies I cited in my research) have had fallout with their families recently after returning from combat, further disintegrating veterans support networks. And as the experience of war has so radically changed, with more frequent and longer deployments to a combat zone which has been called a "breeding ground" for PTSD by experts, the "warrior culture" has been heightened in the returning vet's identity at the same time as society has moved further and further away, creating a culture gap between veterans and civilians. Veteran suicide rates are far higher than civilian population rates, which isn't much of a surprise given that one in three of returning vets reported being desensitized - being unable to feel joy or sadness. And in the middle of writing this, less than two weeks ago, one of my best buddies from the service - a room mate - committed suicide. Still can't quite process it. Universe is just (*)(*)(*)(*)ing ironic.
I'm sorry about the loss of your buddy. I served in the Army post Viet Nam and then got out. But my son joined the Marines and did a deployment to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. He was wounded and nearly died in Iraq. He has experienced everything that happens in war and post war, including the loss of battle buddies to suicide. Without going into all the particulars, one of them was one of my heroes from my son's combat deployments, and it really hurt when he took his own life just last year. My son is medically retired, but quite well. He lives well and is successful personally and professionally. I noticed this thread while just browsing around and thought I'd touch bases. Veterans are one of the things I'm passionate about, and I would be fine with talking about it more.
Most soldiers who take their own lives today have no history of deployment. Theyve never seen combat, never been to war. My personal belief is that the lack of a sense of spirituality, of a higher power than ourselves...something intrinsic to life beyond materialism, leads to a reduced sense of purpose and meaning. Military culture instills a strong sense of purpose and meaning...take that away and transitioning to a civilian life that is less structured, less defined can be difficult for some. This lack of a defining purpose exposes many to the vulnerabilities of suicidal thoughts from depression and poor coping skills. The causes extend beyond the trauma of war itself, many veterans who choose suicide have never been exposed to direct combat.
Although I wouldn't disagree that they're are suicides associated with PTSD, I think the idea of military suicides is mostly a statistical anomaly due to the fact that young males are where the largest percentage of suicides come from, and guess what the military is full of? Young males. So now any guy who commits suicide who is either in the military or former military is lumped in with it being a particular military problem.
I served during the Vietnam war was injured. When I got out the war was not popular as we know, I was spit upon and heckled for doing my duty. Currently I have been receiving disability compensation from the Government, but what really takes the cake when I had applied for additional benefits thru the V.A. they denied me my application stating " I make to much money on my small pension and social security. Over the years when I had gotten out it was hard adjusting back to civilian life but I got thru it. So for the 3 years I was in I got kicked in the face by the V.A. for my efforts.
I doubt it. Generally speaking male suicide is far higher because of societal pressures - more is expected of men, but women are given high praise for things where men are not. For example, men are expected to earn a good income and provide, and aren't given high praise for it, they're instead often criticized for little things, like not being there as a dad in the 70hrs/wk they work to support the family. Women in the same position are given high praise like what a man does is suddenly special because it's a woman doing it. It gets even worse in divorce, when a man often has to work those long hours to support an ex spouse who hates him (alimony) and pay to support the kids who are being taught by their mom that he's a horrible guy. The kind of emotional stress that places could oush anyone to suicide. But with young vets, we're not usually looking at that. They're usually single guys with a bright future, with a GI Bill and who are desired by employers. But then do many of them have ptsd etc., and the combat related mental health trauma is given less attention than warranted - there is such a thing as depression caused from service and no one considers it, ptsd is the issue that gets all the attention. I think you're right that we need to couch these figures, and I'd guess that roughly 30% of veteran suicides could be chalked up to what you're talking about - the majority though I don't think can be.
And a lot of veterans who commit suicide never saw combat. It would be interesting to see statistics (if they exist) on the percent of suicides by vets who were in combat and the percent who never were. And I mean direct combat. I don't mean the vet who went to a base in Afghanistan and who never left the base because he was a heavy equipment operator who built and maintained the base airstrip. There are a lot of vets like that too - vets who went overseas to a combat zone, but never engaged in any combat. I'd like to know if there's a difference in the suicide rates. My son's unit was in direct combat. It was a Marine infantry unit. So some of his battle buddies who have committed suicide may have been suffering from combat-related stress. But for the others, it could have been something else. It could have been the same "something else" that afflicts other vets who commit suicide who never saw combat. I read an article by a vet that described a certain loneliness that accompanies many veterans after they leave the service. When they were in, they were a valued member of a team; they had a mission; and they had an organization around them that supported them, rewarded good work, and reinforced self-esteem. And when they get out, a lot of them sort of mourn the loss of those things. In the more severe cases, depression sets in, dysfunction, and suicide. I didn't really experience that very much when I got out of the Army. I was fortunate to have a friend who greased the wheels for me to get a job that was similar to the one I had been doing in the Army. I was only unemployed for 2 weeks, and then I was part of a team again, doing what I knew how to do, earning money, and moving on with life. But I know it's not always that easy. I do think guys who have been in direct combat may feel like the civilian world around them is blissfully ignorant and, therefore, unlike them. They may feel a disdain for civilians in general and then self-isolate. That is not healthy. And, I've met many who actually miss combat and who have a hard time feeling really alive anymore without it. A lot of them try to approximate that feeling again by joining police departments and working their way onto SWAT teams and such. But most successfully deal with it and re-focus. But clearly, there are some who fail at that. Feeling isolated, feeling like life has no zing anymore, can be deadly. There are some wonderful organizations that do wonderful things for our vets. I've seen them in action with my own eyes. I've seen the general public at large render much respect to our veterans. My son has been supported by our society over and over, in little things and big things. And yet we lose some. It always hurts.
and they are also older. There is a misconception that the rising rates are driven by people just back from OEF/OIF when it really are the mid-lifers/post mid-lifers who are having the higher incidents of suicide.
I did too until I read an article on it and was surprised myself to see that the spike was in older veterans. There is some dispute because of allegations that coroners are misreporting suicides in younger veterans as accidents so the families won't be as stigmatized.
