The President’s announcement of the start of Afghanistan troop withdrawals marks a new phase in the War on Terror. No group of Americans will be happier about the reduction of forces in harm’s way than our service members and their families.
And whether or not one agrees with the reasons for, or implications of, the withdrawal, all Americans can rejoice in the return of our soldiers and Marines from combat. To be sure, they are not all coming home at once, and many thousands remain on the front lines—but the President’s decision will mark an important milestone and, perhaps, create an image in the minds of many Americans that soon, all the troops will be home.
It’s been said over the last several years that “the military is at war, and Americans are at the mall”—a rather trite way of stating that far-off wars tend to escape the public’s attention—especially when the media only covers the conflict when there are a lot of American deaths.
There have been a lot of casualties, both visible and invisible wounds to thousands of service men and women. The quality of their care post-injury is a true measure of the commitment of our nation to honor them and their sacrifice on behalf of us all. The First Lady has done a commendable job in raising public awareness of what military families endure—her Joining Forces program is a stellar concept that rallies public support for our military and veterans alike.
But is that it?
They all come home, we take care of the wounded, and that’s that?
Unfortunately, no.
The return of thousands of service members to the U.S. will create a tsunami of demand upon both public and private sector service providers. Those remaining on active duty face a small pay raise, reduced operating budgets, and reductions in end strength. National Guard and Reserve personnel who deactivate and demobilize (100,000 this year) do so in the face of sky high unemployment numbers (over 20% in some groups) and the worst housing situation in decades.
It is estimated that 155,000 veterans will leave the service this year and seek civilian jobs—many will need training in civilian skills before they are employable above minimum wage.
At USA Cares, a national military charity that provides financial and employment assistance to post 9/11 veterans and active duty, demand is already on the rise. The need for financial assistance to enable PTSD rehab attendance is approaching $1 million—with thousands of cases estimated as yet undiagnosed.
