Most veterans are strengthened by their military service, but the combat experience has unfortunately left a growing number of veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.  One in five veterans has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment.  One in six veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation IraqiFreedom suffer from a substance abuse issue.  Research continues to draw a link between substance abuse and combat–related mental illness.  Left untreated, mental health disorders common among veterans can directly lead to involvement in the criminal justice system.

2.4 million veterans served in Afghanistan and Iraq. 1 in 5 suffer from PTSD or severe depression. Half of these veterans have been incarcerated at some point since serving in these wars. 22 veterans of the most recent wars committed suicide each day of last year. Read more…

From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals by Matthew Wolfe.

Nearly one in 10 inmates have served in the military. Matthew Wolfe on how the system fails them—and the new prison dorms that could help them get back on track.

The three primary experiences of combat, as I understood them to be, are: fear, killing and love. Fear is obvious, and there’s obviously some state of mind connected with killing, but there’s also something you could loosely call love. If you’re willing to die for someone, its clearly for love, and it’s the core reason that men miss war –many of them really, really do miss it.

Interviewer: Veterans often feel a sense of alienation when they return home. What’s going on here?

Well, I think we’re a completely alienated society because most of us don’t have the experience of incredible closeness that soldiers are allowed to enjoy. Read more: Why Its so Hard to Come Home from War