For many decades, the American treatment of soldiers and veterans, especially combat veterans, has been distasteful to say the least. As a nation, we sent teenage men to fight in Europe and Vietnam, where they saw unspeakable things. They fought for their lives, and many never made it home. But those who did returned to a halfhearted 'thank you' and pat on the back from Americans, before being forgotten.
They are then forced to rely on Veterans Affairs, or themselves, to readjust to a society they no longer know, and a society that no longer understands them. That has led to a drastic rise in veteran suicides in recent years. New studies from the Pentagon reveal that U.S. soldiers are nine times more likely to die from suicide than from combat fire.
In that timeframe, they found that 883 died via suicide, compared to just 96 dying via combat. Another 814 deaths were reported as 'accidental.' This is an epidemic of its own, yet you do not hear that much about it. Former Navy Seal Clint Bruce says the biggest reason is the adapting back to civilian life.
"What happens to a military veteran who has experience hyper-purpose, and a whole new identity...all the sudden, it is gone," he says.
We ask them to protect our freedom, and in the process, they get exposed to seeing their friends killed, violent gunfights, and seeing things that any current would make any crumble if they saw it.
Of course, it is not just World War Two and Vietnam veterans who have seen gruesome tales of war, plenty of Iraqi veterans, and beyond, have been exposed to the horrors of battle.
While there are resources for veterans here at home, it can be a time-consuming process. Even setting an appointment with the VA could take weeks, or months, and leaves people in the cold.
"I think accessibility, and approachability, has to happen to fix this problem," he says.
The Pentagon does at least have plans to hire up to 2,000 people in the next few years to address and prevent problem behaviors, like excessive drinking. But as anything is with the government, do not expect anything to happen quickly.
In the meantime, there are things that soldiers can do themselves. Because there is one thing that many refuse to let go of that can hurt them the most: pride.
"In battle, if you let pride get in the way of making a call for a QRF or something...the best thing that happens is you die. The worst thing that happens is you let all the others with you die, because of your pride" he says. "Because you would not ask for help when you needed it."
While America deserves some blame, Bruce adds that veterans as a whole could do a better job being more open and accepting of people's problems.
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