6 Years

Today is the sixth anniversary of the start of our most recent war in Iraq. News reports marking the occasion will no doubt note that combat deaths are now lower than at earlier stages in this war — a silver lining to a still very dark cloud. No matter how quickly our troops leave Iraq, the war will not soon leave those who are serving — and have served — in it. A epidemic of psychological trauma is ripping through our military’s ranks, and we’re probably still years away from seeing the last of our troops withdrawn from Iraq.

From President Obama down, the warnings have been issued and the pain diagnosed.  Years before today’s milestone was reached, post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury were dubbed the war’s signature wounds — and the nation still struggles to properly treat these wounds and care for our military families coping with the pain. More than one-in-five who has served in Iraq likely has combat-related psychological problems — not counting the at least 4,260 Americans who have died there. The wave of trauma pounding on our troops is so intense that it is now widely acknowledged that their children and spouses have been affected, too.

We are making progress. For instance, VFA has been working to end stop loss in recent years.  Last year, we were proud to be among the first groups to support Senator Frank Lautenberg’s Stop Loss Compensation Act, which directly contributed to Defense Secretary Robert Gates declaring yesterday that the Obama Administration will end stop loss.

There are many fights ahead that we must win to restore America’s sacred contract with those who have voluntarily joined our military. That means:

• Adequate time at home for our men and women in uniform
• Ending the cycle of repeated deployments
• Improving quality of, and access to, combat-related care

We will probably find the state of affairs in Iraq to be very different one year from now, when we observe the seventh anniversary of the start of combat operations. As we commemorate the sixth, we must recommit to improving the lives of our men and women who serve, as well as their loved ones.

Jason Forrester is Director of Policy with Veterans for America, an advocacy and humanitarian organization. To help support VFA click here.

SEARCH OUR SITE

VFA Blog