What Will Returning Afghanistan Veterans Mean to Families?

What Will Returning Afghanistan Veterans Mean to Families?

More Veteran Suicides And More Families Traumatized

With President Biden finishing off what three previous administrations couldn’t, the end of the war in Afghanistan means many soldiers will coming stateside. While most of them will not be discharged, some will turn into Afghanistan Veterans. It is those returning Afghanistan warriors that we worry about. If they are like a percentage of their predecessors, they will have PTSD. Here’s what we know: PTSD and families don’t mix. 

Despite the good news coming from the Veterans Administration about soldier suicide being on the decline, the numbers are still painful to accept. In 2019, there were 6,261 Veteran suicides. That’s down from the all time high of 2017. See the newly leased Veteran suicide report by clicking on the cover image.

Overall, civilian suicides are also lower in the past few years, so the Veterans are benefitting from a national trend that is, in turn, either benefitting from greater awareness and acceptability when it comes to asking for help, or it’s just that the reporting is wrong. Prior to this report, other reports have come out saying that the number of Veteran suicides is under-reported due to a variety of factors. Reaching these families is also hard, and now that returning Afghanistan war soldiers are coming home, Congress needs to intensify their support for PTSD treatment and postvention when suicide prevention fails.

Wherever the truth may lie, with Afghanistan Veterans coming home, they will soon face the same challenges all Vets face. Homelessness, the emptiness of civilian life, the housing crisis, the COVID pandemic, extremeism in our political system, and global burning that has temperatures and wild fires raging like never before.

We wish those returning all the best and for those returning to their families, we wish them more than that. We wish that they get connected to the VA. As lacking as it is, being connected to the local one gives you a better chance at not killing youself. And when you don’t do that, we don’t have to take care of your families once you’re gone.

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.

Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough Approved for Service

Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough Approved for Service

In Like A Lion With A Promise of Being “Fierce” For Veterans

Recently confirmed, Denis McDonough is now serving as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Joe Biden. It’s a job that many didn’t see him as qaulified for, but his committment to “fight like hell for Veterans” was enough to get him approved 87-7 in his Senate Confirmation Hearing. He also won over the initially skepital hearts and minds of Veteran Service Organizations – for now.

Secretary Denis McDonough with President Obama

McDonough Inherets a VA in Disarray

McDonough succeeds Robert Wilkie, former president Donald Trump’s second VA leader. Under Wilkie, the agency expanded Obama-era options for veterans to see private doctors outside the government-run system and advanced an antiquated medical records system. However, Wilkie’s tenure ended in ruin for those who thought that you needed a Veteran to lead the organization. A scathing inspector general’s report in December that found he campaigned to discredit a congressional aide who said she was sexually assaulted at VA’s medical center in the District. McDonough is only the second Secretary to be a non-veteran.

Big COVID-19 Challenges Lie Ahead

More than half of all Veterans and their families are not inclined to queue up for the COVID-19 vacccine. However, the depression and anxiety that comes with the pandemic is affecting Veterans at a higher rate than civilians. Suicides rates are on the rise and unemployment and homelessness – persistent Veteran issues – only add to the misery. And it’s affecting the youngest of Veterans the most.

Recent research points to the average age of Veteran suicide dropping to the youngest group. Previously, older Veterans in the 45-65 year-old range were killing themselves at the highest rate. Now ages 24-35 have passed them. Increasing support for prevention in the past years has not only failed to slow down the overall rate of suicide, it’s also been rising. Veteran suicide is proving to be the deadliest foe in all of the Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan wars.

Sources:

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/12/11/bidens-va-secretary-pick-promises-to-fight-like-hell-for-veterans-and-their-families/

https://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/some-veterans-groups-say-they-were-caught-off-guard-by-biden-s-pick-for-va-secretary-1.655010

https://www.legion.org/veteranshealthcare/251666/biden%E2%80%99s-pick-va-secretary-sails-through-confirmation-hearing

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/veterans-secretary-mcdonough/2021/02/08/df3b713a-6a19-11eb-ba56-d7e2c8defa31_story.html

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.