...helping vets become civilian drivers again...
What kills most troops who die in their first year back home? Suicide? That’s a predictable response, but it’s wrong. It’s traffic accidents:
Government officials are worried about the number of young veterans getting into fatal car accidents after they return home from the battlefield. The ones dying most often tend to be young, unmarried males. They tend to come from the infantry ranks, or on gun crews or in seamanship roles.
…says an article on AOL. The Army even has issued guidance to help troops and their families deal with the challenges of driving once they’re back home. The issue caught the attention of Alex Horton, a VA employee and Iraq war vet:
It’s perfectly understandable why these accidents occur. Some use the same defensive driving habits learned overseas, while others want to get the same adrenaline fix that comes with ambushes and firefights. Alcohol is often a factor when folks use it to self-medicate their symptoms of post-traumatic stress. These attempts come at a great cost to Veterans and their families, who have already been burdened by absence.
Just chalk it up as another hidden cost of war. As for how many of those deaths are really suicide by car? That’s for God to know and the rest of us to wonder.