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The Military Life: Exploring the Lives of Our Heroes
The military is a heavily armed force for warfare, both offense and defense. Despite recent attempts by our adversaries to catch up, the United States boasts of the most potent military since the dawn of humanity.
The armed forces of the U.S. have been instrumental in spreading peace, democracy, and freedom worldwide. Our brave heroes have kept the country safe by stopping attacks and dismantling the infrastructure used to plan them thousands of miles away from home.
Additionally, having a formidable and deployable force has helped the U.S. create strategic allies such as Japan that would otherwise pose a threat.
It also guarantees the safety of our allies and helps friendly countries from being overrun by our enemies.
Subsequently, most liberated nations, such as the rest of Europe, South Korea, and parts of Africa have the U.S. military to thank.
Are U.S. Military service members underpaid?
However, U.S. military officers pay a premium price for this freedom, with some losing their lives, limbs, and even sanity. Additionally, U.S. soldiers do not receive adequate compensation for their service while on active duty and even more so after leaving the force.
Many Americans join the military because of various benefits such as medical, housing, and education. However, they suffer family separations, long deployments, and work under the most dangerous conditions. Additionally, they have more responsibilities in life-and-death situations and lose the freedoms that civilians enjoy.
Injured veterans also lose civilian earnings, i.e., the income they would have earned as civilians after leaving service. While their compensation may seem generous, their working conditions make them some of the most underpaid Americans.
Difficult transition leads to suicide and homelessness.
With many service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the military does not also help its former employees smoothly transition to civilian life after leaving the force. Apart from PTSD, many veterans struggle to find work or adjust to new routines and communities after losing comradeship with their fellow combatants.
Subsequently, suicide rates are higher among veterans than in the general population, with older veterans mostly affected. According to the American Addiction Center, suicide rates among veterans were 1.5 times higher than the general average.
Similarly, a study by Thomas Byrne, an associate professor at Boston University’s School of Social Work, found that veterans are also at a higher risk of homelessness than ordinary civilians, with PTSD and combat-related injuries being the major contributing factors.
Without the ability to defend our freedoms, including forcefully when necessary, our democracy cannot survive.
Therefore, we must support them during their active years and ensure they have the necessary resources to continue with their lives after leaving the force.
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