By Allison Cepis and Damaris Zayas
The BBC World News recently stated that "ninety-three active duty soldiers had killed themselves by the end of last month." If that headline does not grab your attention, then little else will.
The Iraq war has always been a controversial subject; however, within the past year it has become even more so. Alarmingly, at least 23 soldiers as of last year have committed suicide.
Part of the problem could be that the US is not providing adequate medical service for our soldiers who are in desperate need. Living and fighting in a place where people are constantly dying obviously takes a significant toll on the human psyche. This has directly led to an increase of soldier and veteran suicides. The BBC World News continued to report that "the US Army is planning to improve its mental health care practices because of concern about the number of suicides among US soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait." As the war progresses, the situation will escalate if the soldiers are not properly taken care of as they rightfully should be. "It's also on pace to surpass the suicide rate for the general population for the first time since the Vietnam War," reported the BBC.
Currently, there is no funding to buy the proper medications for the soldiers who exhibit signs of depression. It is an urgent and essential matter for the US government to take care of the soldiers who are constantly risking their lives for our country.
In his Philadelphia Daily News article entitled "Female veterans seeking to heal lives shattered," David Gambacorta reported that "1,866 Iraq and Afghanistan vets... called in to a nationwide VA suicide line from Jan. 1 to July 31. Among female vets, 158 were involved in what the VA terms 'suicide-behavior events' - either committing suicide or thinking about it."
In addition to not having adequate medical funding, many veterans are being left homeless or jobless. Gambacorta continues that there are "2,217 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wars designated by the Department of Veteran Affairs as 'homeless or at risk' in the last three and a half years. They face issues ranging from substance abuse to physical disability to post-traumatic stress disorder." Women "constitute 11 percent of the ranks of homeless and struggling vets," reports Gambacorta.
Obviously, our government is not taking the appropriate measures to ensure that our soldiers will be safe, secured, and emotionally and mentally sound when returning home. It must be known that our soldiers, who go to great lengths and make unsurpassable sacrifices to keep the American public safe, are not being amply supported. It is important that we, the American citizens, urge our government and pressure our next president whoever he or she may be, to give medical care (both physical and mental), job opportunities, and housing to veterans. Essentially, we must find alternative ways to support the health and welfare of our nation's troops.
Comments