Opinion: Mental health and the cost of our wars – By Michael Haynie (The Hill) / June 27 2021
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL
The Biden administration has pledged to have U.S. forces out of Afghanistan later this year. With that action, we will close the book on what has been America’s longest sustained period of military conflict. Hopefully, the occasion will represent an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the costs and consequences of those wars.
Almost 3 million Americans have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. More than 7,000 service members have died in the fight. In financial terms, estimates suggest that to date, the cost of our post-9/11 wars has exceeded $6.4 trillion.
However, these numbers do not tell the whole story. What too few Americans fully understand is that without bold action, the “costs and consequences” of these wars will continue to accumulate, long after places like Iraq and Afghanistan stop making the news.
Since 2001, 30,177 service members and veterans have died by suicide. That number is more than four times those who died at the hands of the enemy. The psychological trauma of 20 years at war has contributed to an unprecedented mental health challenge, impacting countless post-9/11 veterans and military-connected families.
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