Even though I am on one side of the aisle… I am not sure that either group is 100% correct in their line of thinking. And, as with every issue, there are variables that make each individual situation unique. Not every deployment is the same… sometimes the service member is deployed but in more of a non-combat support role and may be able to handle unpleasant news from the home front without it affecting their ability to do their job. Every marriage is not the same…. some marriages thrive on a “less-is-more” mentality because both people are comfortable communicating in that fashion. People come from all different walks of life, communicate in a variety of ways, and have different ways of handling their individual relationships.
However, I don’t think that the fact that there are so many differences between us should preclude us from having this discussion. We are fast-approaching the 14 year anniversary of 9/11. 14 years. That almost doesn’t seem real to me. But we all know that the consequences of such a lengthy war are very real. According to one NBC article, military suicide rates reached an all time high in 2012. A simple google search will lead you to an overwhelming wealth of statistical information on the rates of PTSD in service members who are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Numbers that suggest the problem is a growing one. And without looking at a single statistic many of us see and feel the problem in our communities, and sometimes right in our own homes, every single day. War is never easy on our country, our troops, or their families.
Am I suggesting that our abundant use, or refusal to use, frequent and easily accessible communication could be, in some way, contributing to a growing mental health problem in the military community?
Not exactly. But it does get me thinking. It does raise some questions:
