Most of us imagine the US military as brave soldiers in uniform, defending the country & standing up for what’s right around the world. And that’s definitely a big part of what they do! However, the military has its share of problems and here are ten uncomfortable truths about the American military. Of course, we’re not blaming anyone. Rather, we’re trying to understand things to make life better for veterans—and America.
Featured Image Credit: VitalikRadko/Depositphotos.com.
High Suicide Rates Among Veterans
For a lot of veterans, the battle doesn’t end when they come home. Adjusting back to civilian life is difficult & sadly this causes a higher rate of suicide among veterans than the general population. Many vets feel isolated or struggle with PTSD. It’s a big issue that needs more attention & support from us all.
Mental Health Stigma
Likewise, even though we’re all getting better at talking about mental health, the stigma around it still exists in the military. Some people fear that getting help makes them look weak or negatively impacts their careers so they’ll avoid help entirely. We desperately need to change this so that all service members are able to share their struggles.
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Sexual Assault Within the Ranks
Sexual assault & harassment are real problems in the military, just like in many other places. Both men and women are victims despite the efforts to make things better. Clearly, there’s still a long way to go in creating a safe environment for everyone. Better yet, we should eliminate the attitudes that allow this to happen.
Racial Disparities in Military Justice
Minorities in the military have a higher chance of facing disciplinary actions than other groups. There’s an imbalance in how we serve justice and we have to keep working towards fairness & equality for all service members. They’re all there to protect our country and they all deserve to be treated properly.
Veteran Homelessness
Unfortunately, some veterans come home from the war to find they don’t have a place to call their own. We do have numerous programs aiming to help vets transition back to civilian life yet too many are struggling with homelessness. Around 0.22% of all vets are homeless in America and while that’s not a huge number, it’s still too many people.
The Military-Industrial Complex
President Eisenhower once warned us of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. Essentially, it’s a tight-knit circle where the military, people in Congress & defense companies all work to support each other. Unfortunately, this setup makes it hard to stop overspending on defense projects. These often go way over budget—surely the money would be better placed elsewhere?
The Struggle with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
From 2000 to 2019, more than 400,000 service members ended up with TBIs, mostly due to bombs going off near them in places like Iraq & Afghanistan. TBIs affect their thinking, feelings—even how they move. Thankfully, the military has put some money into helping these people yet it’s still a huge issue.
Overreliance on Prescription Drugs
Around one in four veterans have been prescribed opioids at some point during their careers. That’s a lot of pills. Naturally, many people are worried about addiction & overreliance on these drugs. They suggest using physical therapy and even acupuncture to cut down on the use of drugs.
The Civilian-Military Divide
The number of people who enrolled in the military fell by approximately 59% between 1980 and 2020. It’s unclear what the direct cause is but either way it’s worse than many people realize. Fewer people in the military means fewer people will understand what military service really involves. As such, they’re less likely to be sympathetic to the issues that veterans have to deal with.
The Ethical Dilemma of Drone Warfare
The military uses drones to take out foreign enemies without putting American lives at risk. While that might sound good, sometimes things go wrong & innocent people get hurt—including civilian families. The military claims they’re trying to keep civilian casualties low yet it’s hard to know for sure. They keep a lot of the details under wraps.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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