Final Research Essay

Aundria Medina
Nobody can really understand what it is like coming home from war,
unless you have actually done it. We can only imagine what goes on when a
civilian becomes a soldier and can only wonder when that moment occurs. Is
it when they are signing the forms to join a branch of the military? When
they first step foot in to foreign territory? Is it that first phone call home after
weeks of avoiding it? I dont think anyone who hasnt been there can testify
to when this change occurs. I have a friend who I believe is on his 3rd of 4th
tour now in the Marines. He used to come visit me in Utah while he was on
leave. I remember as he was sleeping once I gently touched his shoulder to
wake him and he immediately clenched up and jerked awake looking around
alarmed. I could see he was almost embarrassed as relief flooded his face to
find he was still in his hotel in Sandy. These men and women do always
eventually come home, deceased damaged, alive, maybe even seemingly
fine, but in all cases; forever changed in many ways.
In the film In Valley of Elah, directed by Paul Haggis and released in
2007, the idea that soldiers who come home but are never really fully home
mentally is explored. The person who left for war may come back but does it
not fundamentally change them? This movie follows a father who is
determined to find out what happened to his son following his return from a
deployment in Iraq. He enlists the help of a police detective to trace back the

final hours of his sons life and uncover the motive behind his death. This
movie is reminiscent of Crash which is from the same director, the
structure of the film is very similar. There is a very dark cast over
appearance throughout the film besides a few select scenes while in the
detectives home. This is not a film that brings much comfort while viewing
it. The scenes switched from one moment to the next very quickly and if not
paying close attention it would be fairly easy to miss something which also
brings a lot to the films ability to keep its viewers attention. In the end after
many trials and errors the father and detective find it was one of the sons
friends who was also a soldier who had murdered him. The father is so angry
throughout the film and had attacked a man earlier in the film who he had
thought was responsible but seemed calm as this man admitted to what he
had done. He stated something along the lines of On another day, it could
have been him on top of meit could have been any of us. Although
seemingly apologetic and remorseful, the soldier remains stone faced and
desensitized to the entire situation. This made me wonder, are we doing
enough for our military men and women post deployment as well as once
they leave the military permanently? It is absolutely necessary for
comprehensive physiological exams to be completed and consistent follow
up with our veterans once they leave the military.
Per NCBI, since 9/11 2.4 million men and women have been deployed
to Iraq and Afghanistan. As of now, 1.44 million have left the military and
roughly 772,000 have used healthcare provided to them from Veterans

Affairs or the VA. That number is just about half of those returned. This made
me wonder what kind of illnesses our vets are coming home with that so
many of them are seeking out care, and how many are not receiving the care
they need? Per Veterans Family United, the common psychological diagnosis
is as follow, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sleep Disorders, as well as substance dependence
to name a few. Those only brush the surface of what a vet could be going
through as there are many physical side effects of war as well, such as losing
a limb, burns, blindness, hearing loss, and any other injury they could have
sustained while in the field. They could also become dependent on
substances to cope with any of these physical or mental ailments.
Every single say we see homeless vets; downtown Salt Lake City is
filled with them. We can only equate this to not adequate enough care for
those returning home who need to be reintroduced to civilian life. How often
do these men and women on the street commit crimes that couldve have
been avoided had they been followed up with more adequately? These
people fought for our freedom and we through quarters in their coffee cups.
A recent study cited by NCBI stated that out of 289.000 vets, 36.9% had a
mental health diagnosis, 21.8% had PTSD and 17.4% had depression. While
looking at these numbers you can almost understand how the character in
The Valley of Elah could murder someone and then show zero emotion.
Also cited by NCBI, it was found that Vietnam Era veterans had psychosocial
risks of unemployment, marital instability, social isolation, financial

struggles, and legal issues. The need to isolate themselves can also lead to
mental health deterioration as they feel they have no one to talk to or fall
back on in hard times. This is where our government needs to step in and
provide the care they need.
In order to qualify for VA benefits the first thing is you cannot be
dishonorably discharged or you immediately do not meet the specifications.
Per VA.gov, Most Veterans who enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered
active duty after October 16, 1981, must have served 24 continuous months
or the full period for which they were called to active duty in order to be
eligible. This minimum duty requirement may not apply to Veterans who
were discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, for
a hardship or early out, or those who served prior to September 7, 1980.
Since there are a number of other exceptions to the minimum duty
requirements, VA encourages all Veterans to apply so that we may determine
their enrollment eligibility. There was also a list of enhanced eligibility
requirements which included prisoners of war, purple heart medal receivers,
were discharged due to a disability, were stationed at specific places during
certain time periods, are found to be catastrophically disabled, or have a
certain household income below the margin. Medical care only goes so far
and housing assistance as well as required counseling would be a great step
in the right direction of ensuring our soldiers come back from war as healthy
as possible.

Our government does absolutely try to help our veterans and ensure
their mental health does not degrade but there are still many steps that can
be taken in order to ensure quality of treatment. If we look at the soldier who
murdered his friend in the previously mentioned film, it is things like that
which could possibly be prevented with mediation and therapy. It is needed
for every person to push for better treatment of returned soldiers and further
research on the lasting effects in order to create a better tomorrow for all of
our veterans.

Sources (MLA):
Spelman, Juliette F., Stephen C. Hunt, Karen H. Seal, and A. Lucile BurgoBlack. "Post Deployment Care for Returning Combat Veterans." Journal of
General Internal Medicine. Springer-Verlag, 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
Design, VIP Hosting &. "Common Diagnosis, Medications & Side Effects for
Combat & War Trauma." Veterans Familes United Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web.
12 Dec. 2016
"Health Benefits." Veterans Eligibility - Health Benefits. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Dec. 2016.
Websites:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3514997/

http://veteransfamiliesunited.org/2011/06/06/common-diagnosismedications-and-side-effects-of-veteran-readjustment-problems/
https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apply/veterans.asp