Throughout American history, men and women have been fighting and dying in wars throughout the majority of our country’s history. However, veteran reintegration proves to be a continual challenge as we see statistics regarding homelessness, suicide, incarceration, and mental illness indicating an ongoing crisis. Changes in military strategy, technology, and tactics have ensured a greater survival rate in direct combat operations, but this also means there will be more wounded, physically and psychologically, returning home with wounds that require medical and mental health attention.
Despite policy progress with doors opening for women, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), testimonies regarding Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and other advances to expose internal corruption in the ranks, the transition for military personnel into the civilian world remains a battlefield. In 2013, 21.4 million men and women, or 9% of the general American population over age 18, were surveyed as veterans who served in conflicts ranging from World War II to the current Gulf War-era. Unemployment rates for veterans have typically been high but have decreased to 6.6%. 15% of all veterans report a service-connected disability, but 29% of Gulf War-era veterans have a VA-filed disability (BLS, 2014). Female veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 have an unemployment rate of 16 percent, twice the average of non-veterans and significantly higher than their male veteran counterparts of the same age group (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011). Out of 136,334 homeless veterans (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 2011), who comprise 33 percent of our nation’s total homeless population, women veterans comprise 13,100 (Service Women’s Action Network, 2011). According to VA mental health statistics in 2010, 54.4 percent of female veterans reported a MST-related encounter; and while not nearly as high, more than a third of male veterans (37.6 percent) reported an MST-related encounter. These figures are even higher for OIF/OEF/OND female and male veterans—MST incidents were reported at 58.4 percent and 48.3 percent respectively. When examining the rates for homeless veterans, the figures are even more disturbing: 87.2 percent of homeless female veterans and 77.5 percent of homeless male veterans reported MST incidents that occurred at least once in the span of their military service (Stalzberg, 2011). Out of 2,212 MST cases in 2007, only 8 percent (181) of these reported incidents have gone to trial. In 2009, there were 3,230 MST cases reported, according to the Service Women’s Action Network (Stalzberg, 2010). Only 20 percent of assaults are ever reported, with a 64 percent increase of incidents from 2008 to 2009. Only 8 percent of perpetrators ever face prosecution. In terms of overall ethnic diversity, 36 percent of active duty forces and 30.2 percent of Reserve forces originate from racial/ethnic minorities (America’s Promise Alliance, 2011). Non-white female vets are expected to increase to 44 percent in 2020, compared to 37 percent for male counterparts (Foster & Vince, 2009b). Thus, there is an ever-increasing need for awareness of cultural diversity within the female veteran population. While there are multiple mental health and veteran reintegration issues to address for policy change, suicide remains quite high on the priority list. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, at least 22 veterans commit suicide each day, with veterans under 30 as three times more likely to take their own lives. Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans commit suicide at a rate of 79.1 per 1,000, while other Americans rate at 25 per 1,000. What’s even more alarming is that Veteran Health Administration (VHA) enrollment has experienced a 30% drop, and suicides by veterans not enrolled in VHA spiked to 60% (Yu-Hsi Lee, 2014). If this nation is to keep to its word and the "Support the Troops" bandwagon, it's time to implement needed changes. It's one thing to keep track of data, but it's purely negligent for our leaders to have this knowledge at their disposal and to do little to nothing to improve upon the current situation. Reference: America’s Promise Alliance (2011). U.S. Military Demographics. Retrieved from: http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Military-Families/Military-Families-by-the-Numbers.aspx Bureau of Labor and Statistics (2014). Employment Situation of Veterans Summary. Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD (n.d.). Military Culture. Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/ptsd101/course-modules/military_ culture.asp Foster, L. & Vince, S. (2009). California’s Women Veterans: The Challenges and Needs of Those Who Served. California Research Bureau. Sacramento, CA. Retrieved from www.library.ca.gov/crb/09/09-009.pdf National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (2011). HUD, VA Release Supplemental Report on Veteran Homelessness. Washington, DC. Retrieved from:http://www.nchv.org/news_article.cfm?id=863 Stalzberg, B. L. (2010). Military Sexual Trauma (MST): The quick facts. Service Women’s Action Network. Retrieved from:http://www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/SWAN-MSTFactSheet.pdf Yu-Hsi Lee, E. (2014). Suicide Rate Among Young Veterans Has Tripled, Report Finds. Think Progress. Retrieved from: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/01/11/3150531/young-male-veterans-more-likely-commit-suicide/
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AuthorM.B. Dallocchio is an artist, author, Iraq war veteran, and social worker based in London. Her latest book, “The Desert Warrior,” covers post-traumatic growth, resilience, and redefining one’s own personal meaning of “home.” Archives
August 2020
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