The War After Veterans Come Home

The transition for veterans into civilian life is a lot harder than we could imagine. First, when they return from being over seas it is hard for them to see their families. Veterans often feel disconnected from their loved ones. They tend to hide their true feelings and can not get themselves to open up. Both of my older brothers served in the army so I got to experience this first hand. It was hard to see someone I loved in emotional pain, and them not being able to explain it.  After veterans are honorably discharged from the military they now have the struggle to find another job, and develop a career.  The problem with this is that they can not usually use their military training. In order for them to get a good job they need to go to college, but most veterans can not afford college. It is also hard to apply, and receive the military benefits to have the government pay for their education.

In result of these struggles some veterans end up committing suicide. Veterans commit suicide because they can not cope with PTSD. They don’t get the help they need to be okay emotionally. Also many veterans are addicted to drugs like prescription, or over the counter painkillers, marijuana, and alcohol. For the first three years my older brother was out of the army he couldn’t function properly without being high. He couldn’t focus, and had a hard time going out in public places. These are real life hard struggles for today's veterans. Sadly many people don’t realize this, and sadly the government isn’t doing enough to ensure the wellbeing of our soldiers. If you would like to read more here are two articles about veterans,  Latest Estimate of Veteran Suicide at 20 Per Day  and We Aren’t Doing Enough to Help Veterans Transition to Civilian Life .