Active duty and military veterans continue to make the ultimate sacrifice. According to the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Report, suicide is “the second leading cause of death for veterans under the age of 45.” About 22 veterans die by suicide daily. The VA says about 35 percent of post-9/11 veterans experience post-traumatic stress resulting from trauma or suffering while in the military.
Our veterans approached their service with pride, love of country and in defense of our constitutional freedoms. Many are unable to reconcile those values with their active-duty experiences. Pew Research finds that most veterans believe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting; same with the ongoing campaign in Syria. And same for the war in Vietnam. To learn later that those wars were illegal adds to the trauma experienced while on active duty.
President Joe Biden ordered our military to stand guard while the Israeli military commits a genocide on Gaza. An illegal, inhumane and politically motivated action not supported by the American public. A policy that will further weaken our active-duty military.
Only 18 percent of Congress are veterans. Presidents Donald Trump and Biden avoided service through draft deferments. Obviously, our veterans feel used and abused by past and current presidents.
