Drew Stevens

Mr. Gardner

Grody Goats P.4

9 February 2023

Don’t Let Them See You Cry

People in the United States often will not hesitate to thank armed forces veterans for their

service, restaurants and stores will offer discounts or handouts on certain days of the year set

aside to observe their sacrifice, and they are told that they are heroes. However those who give

the most, fight the hardest, lose the most, usually receive the least amount of care. Those who

serve in the United States have gone through the most intensive training of the global stage, and

many have seen combat in mentally taxing theatres such as the blistering heat of Iraq &

Afghanistan, or the tropical hell of Vietnam. Some of todays struggling vets even saw combat in

frozen Korea or had to fight in the second world war in an effrt to keep the world free of fascism.

Many of these veterans struggle with suicide, depression and homelessness, so this begs the

question, does the lack of mental health resources available to veterans set them up for failure

after their service?

Once their service is over, and at last they get to go home, arguably the majority of these

people are more or less forgotten. A large percentage of these servicemen and women reenter

society abruptly, falling into alcoholism or financial struggle. When that question of, “What’s

next?”, is proposed, many do not know how to or are unable to answer. Suicide rates are at an all

time high amongst veterans, with an average of 44 lost each and every day. This data includes

deaths related to self harm and substance abuse relating to their service. Equally, a large

percentage of the homeless population is comprised of veterans. In 2022 there were an estimated

33,000 homeless vets in the United States. This number is lower than in the past, but still large.
This homelessness can often be attributed to substance abuse and mental illness related to their

service, this can even include head trauma from combat related injuries, many of such injuries

government organizations meant to help refuse to identify as being service related in the first

place.

On the other hand, an argument can be made for these organizations. Places like the V.A

are responsible for many resources that a veteran would need, however it is known by many

veterans to be notoriously unhelpful. These institutions are responsible for the healthcare and

insurance of veterans, however often do not acknowledge nor provide adequate treatment. One

major focus has been on the homelessness rates, government agencies and privately funded

institutions are responsible for cutting these numbers in half from 2010 to 2022. While 33,000 is

still a large number, it was over 70 thousand in years prior.

In my personal opinion, there are absolutely not enough adequate resources for veterans

to turn to in time of need, if there were we wouldn’t see such an absurd suicide rate. Any veteran

you talk to will tell you how after their service they disappear, all of the benefits of enlistment

suddenly not what they were promised. Service related injuries correspond to a large amount of

mental health struggles faced by servicemen and women but often go undiagnosed or

unacknowledged by those whose job it is to help them.

In conclusion, the lack of resources available to veterans after their service absolutely sets

them up to fail, and is responsible in large part for a large amount of people struggling to

reintegrate back into normal everyday life. This issue has no easy solution, and cannot be

summed up in a sentence or two. One way to begin is to look into and redefine our institutions

that are supposed to be aiding these people, and providing more funding to the organizations

themselves as well as the professionals that work there. As well as this, as a society we could
destigmatize some of the things that they struggle with, you hear so often that people struggling

need to “man up” or hide their struggle, one way to help them is to simply reach out and

understand.

Sources cited:

Anderson, Nick. “Check Out My Flag Lapel Pin.” Houston Chronicle, 11/11/14,
https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/McFcF3RkdUiIoQ/media-influence-veterans, Assessed
Feb. 1st, 2023

LX News. “Veterans Struggling With Mental Health Face A Dual Stigma: ‘We Don’t Ask For
Help’ | NBCLX” YouTube, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vX2rxy9LyU

“Mental Health Resources for Veterans.” University of Utah Health,

healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2022/11/mental-health-resources-for-veterans.php.