As a veteran, you may experience nightmares upon returning home from combat. This is common when someone has experienced some sort of trauma; this does not necessarily mean physical trauma, but could also include the emotional and mental trauma of serving in combat, even when uninjured physically.
How do you deal with nightmares about trauma?
Is the war in Afghanistan over?
There has been no war in the history of the United States that has lingered for as long as the war in Afghanistan. Many famous wars were actually relatively short. The U.S. entered World War Two in 1941, for example, and it was over by 1945. The war itself was longer, of course, since the U.S. entered late, but American involvement only ran for four years.
Veterans may have invisible, internal injuries
If you ask the average person what types of injuries veterans suffer, they're probably going to mention two things: Amputation injuries and traumatic brain injuries. These do happen often in such a dangerous line of work, and they often fit the profile that people have in mind of an injured military member.
Military injuries often don't come from combat
Combat is a major reason for injuries to military personnel, but people often make the mistake of assuming that it's the only cause. They think of the danger from injuries and fatalities as linked to whether or not a soldier is engaged in active conflict with an enemy force.
Will more troop deployments lead to more injuries?
The number of American troops deployed at any one time is always changing. In terms of small numbers, it changes daily. But even larger, more drastic changes can happen throughout the year.
What is the largest branch of the military?
The basic branches of the military have very specific purposes. The Army is the "land warfare branch", while the Navy handles warfare at sea and the Air Force is in charge of maintaining aerial superiority. There is a lot of overlap, of course, such as the Marines often serving on land but being part of the Navy, but the general roles are well-defined. So, which one is the largest?
What are the most disabling injuries soldiers suffer at war?
Wars can leave behind many battle scars, especially for the soldiers that fight them. Data compiled by researchers at Brown University shows that there are nearly one million veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars receiving disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Veterans could have 'invisible scars'
Many veterans come back with serious physical injuries that leave substantial scars even after they heal. For some, though, these scars are "invisible" and internal. They are the product of serious emotional and mental damage done by time served in a war zone, and they can be debilitating.
Certain military roles bring greater TBI risks
People often talk about the risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and other serious injuries for members of the military as if that risk is the same for everyone who is in the service. However, while you could argue that many military jobs are inherently more dangerous than civilian jobs just because of where they take place, that doesn't mean all is equal.
Hundreds of thousands of vets struggle with vision issues
Disabilities are not always as obvious to outsiders as amputations or spinal cord injuries leading to paralysis. Many disabilities may not stand out in the same way, but they can still have a drastic impact on a person's life. It's important not to overlook that impact in any way.
