Do we support the families of military deaths enough?
I continue to feel guilty about the effect of war on the world and also the effect on families. I don’t mean this post to be a political comment - far from it, whether the war is right or wrong is irrelevant to the families that are suffering loss. For me it is about how we support people, how we ensure that these children are helped to cope with loss, cope with their feelings so that we don’t have huge long term effects. Grief is not just a by product it is a real problem that we need to support. I was just reading at Seattlepi.com this article
“At least 700,000 children have had a parent deployed overseas, but there are scant resources for the stressed kids who are exhibiting social, emotional, behavioral and academic problems.
Nearly 50 percent of troops killed in Iraq have left spouses and children behind, but there are precious few programs offering grief counseling for Gold Star families. Support for family members acting as primary caretakers for their severely injured veterans, including those with polytraumas and traumatic brain injury, is virtually non-existent.
Since 2001, 160,000 female troops have been deployed, and 10 percent of them are single mothers. Women combat veterans are at an elevated risk for PTSD, and often suffer military sexual abuse. But the VA has just two gender-specific in-patient treatment programs.”
The article continues saying that “the untreated effects of combat-related trauma last a lifetime, and long-term consequences include: unemployment, depression, divorce, domestic violence, chemical dependency, poor physical health, homelessness, “accidental death,” suicide and even murder. “
I understand the effect of bereavement and don’t know what I would have done without the support of family and friends. We spend billions on defense budgets, surely we should be spending a little of that on supporting society through the effects of the war.
Tags: death, family-bereavement, Grief, iraq, Military Deaths, war, widowRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Grief
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