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The fallout from what the politicians forget

Politicians, of all political persuasions, and around the world, are quick to go into war or enter into a military skirmish - seemingly forgetting the fallout.    There is obviously the immediate clear human and financial cost.   But forgotten is the legacy of that war or military skirmish - as the Americans are now facing with those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and have returned home.   As this report from The Washington Post so clearly reveals the human cost of both wars has been, and will continue to be, horrendous.

"More than half of the 2.6 million Americans dispatched to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with physical or mental health problems stemming from their service, feel disconnected from civilian life and believe the government is failing to meet the needs of this generation’s veterans, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The long conflicts, which have required many troops to deploy multiple times and operate under an almost constant threat of attack, have exacted a far more widespread emotional toll than previously recognized by most government studies and independent assessments: One in two say they know a fellow service member who has attempted or committed suicide, and more than 1 million suffer from relationship problems and experience outbursts of anger — two key indicators of post-traumatic stress."

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