As of this Saturday, December 31st, 2011, all American troops will be ordered out of Iraq. Most of the troops have been in the process of leaving the war-torn country for weeks—with the final groups exiting this weekend. The numbers are sobering. Since the war began in March of 2003, over one million troops have served in the effort. Nearly 4,500 gave their lives. Over 30,000 servicemen and women have been injured—the effects of which, simply can’t be estimated. The cost of the Iraq war is over $800 billion—and still growing—but that’s only monetary. Indeed, this war, and its counterpart in Afghanistan, has cost this country severely—in so many terrible ways. Regardless of your socio-political position regarding the last almost-nine years, and its effect on this country, one thing remains certain: hundreds of thousands of American soldiers are returning to life within the United States. Many of these men and women will have difficulty readjusting to the patterns and processes they remember, or the many new aspects of their lives that took shape during their absence. Additionally, they will be attempting to do all of this while often harboring some serious physical, mental, and emotional trauma. Yes, they’re certainly not aliens, nor are they returning to a different planet, but most of us didn’t go–that’s the reality–so most of can’t say, at all, what it’s going to be like for these Americans to be back here.
What we can do is support them as much as possible, allow them time to relax and readjust, do whatever it is we can do to understand any of their difficulties, and help them to ease back into a comfortable, productive life. We can all do something, whether monumental or more personal. What we’ve decided to do here at YEP is give our military veterans a voice. Most of us haven’t been, or didn’t go, to war; that doesn’t mean we can’t be there for those who did.
Today, we are offering up YEP as a platform for U.S. military troops to either tell a story, remember friends or moments that impacted them, or simply get something off of their chests—with a new post feature called: Your Voice—Soldier Stories. It’ll be easy: all any veteran, or someone who knows a veteran, has to do is contact us at weareyepmedia@gmail.com, and we’ll go from there. The easiest way is to email us, but Facebook works, as well. If you have something to say, we want to help you say it. We will also do our best to provide helpful information and links to sites that will prove advantageous to those looking for help in any number of areas.
And this is something that can come from anywhere. Yes, we’re local, but not all soldiers are local. We’d like you, our audience, to keep this in mind, and feel free to spread the word. Often in life, the best way to say thank you, is to lend a hand when needed.
Something to consider:
- One-third of the adult homeless population in the U.S. are veterans.
- 70% of these suffer from substance abuse problems.
- 45% of these suffer from mental illness.
- There are an estimated 196,000 homeless veterans in the U.S. on any given night.
- The current unemployment rate for veterans in America is 12%—versus the national average of 9%.
- The government states that the leading cause of homelessness with veterans in the U.S. is PTSD.
(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
— Source: MoveOn.org
Do your best to appreciate the various realities of life. They’re not always glamorous, tantalizing, or inspiring. But many of the harshest realities can often be avoided by basic human involvement. As we’ve learned from past wars, returning troops frequently have a tough go of it—for many reasons. And these days, within an economy on the brink, a swollen, self-absorbed government that spends its time pointing fingers instead of working, and an unemployment rate at historic levels, a returning military veteran in this country who needs help settling back in to American life, should be a top priority. It’s a shame that they’re often ignored. You can change that. We all can.
