I don't understand all of the suicides.

[Omega]

http://www.npr.org/2015/10/28/451146230/missed-treatment-soldiers-with-mental-health-issues-dismissed-for-misconduct
 
This might shed a little light on some issues going on.

While this is indeed a problem, I think it goes the other way as well. I have personally seen where a soldier is doing something against regulation/illegal and want to play the PTSD card when caught. And since it is difficult to know when someone is faking it, some actual PTSD guys fall through the same crack that the fakers do and vise versa. I am no doctor but I question the PTSD defense in cases of thievery and violence. Don't get me wrong, I was not the same person I was prior to deployments but nothing over there made me want to injure anyone in a premeditated manner. I can understand getting startled and defending yourself from a perceived danger and all, but some cases are hard for me to understand. Now the drinking, loner mentality and depression I can see, specially considering the things already mentioned about having no one to talk to.

 

You know, this is a good point I left out.  I didn't experience this so bad myself, because my wife and kids always kept me busy, and I was able to land a job working with people who come from a similar background.  I can see this though, especially for younger guys who may not have a family unit to fall back on.  For most people in the military, the guys you work with day in, day out on your team/squad/platoon become a second family.  You can relate and talk about things that only family can, which isn't something people experience in the corporate world. 
 
There is a special kind of bonding that comes from that, and is amplified by experiences you share while in combat.  When you get out, all that goes away.  Even though I remain in contact with many of my buddies from when I was in, it just isn't the same as it was on a day to day basis.  I do miss that.  I can only imagine how tough that is for someone who has been living that life for 3-5 years, and then one day it's all gone, along with the sense of purpose you gain from working in that type of environment.  It's difficult to explain, but your sense of purpose gained from having a mission which is perceived to be so crucial, you're willing to commit all of yourself to it with out giving thought otherwise.  In the corporate world, it's difficult to draw that sense of purpose, other than the desire to maintain your job so you can feed your family.  I miss that too.
 
I'm lucky to have a family that values me as much as I value them.  A dominating reason why I left was because I felt I couldn't exist in both worlds and commit myself to the appropriate level for both, which is a disservice to the unit and my family.  It just came down to priorities.  I do miss it, and I think it would be hard for anyone who didn't have something of equal or greater importance to commit to upon separating.

Family is great, and they can be a great resource for many and play a very important part in our mental well being. But unless they were active duty, there are just some things that they may not understand. In our community we have quite a few resources to help those with the loneliness and having no one to relate to. Due to our mission set, we can't really just talk to anyone, they may not be able to relate and or be cleared to hear some of the things that some of us need to talk about. Even after I retired, I still had access to our unit Chaplin, our psychiatrist and a slew of guys that were more than willing to spend time with me if needed. I consider myself mentally strong, I compartmentalize and rationalize all the things I seen and did while deployed but I still experienced a few things that I had to sort out. First was the hyper alertness, every loud noise made me want to take evasive action. But mentally I was able to process the fact that I was stateside and that more than likely it was innocuous; but I was and am always evaluating my surroundings. Second, it took me a few years to go hunting again; I just had no desire to kill anything. Heck for awhile I didn't even mess with my guns. I didn't seek out any help because I, for the most part, had it under control. But at least for me it was good to have a safety net if needed, that is why I am always available to sit and talk with anyone that may just need a bit of companionship. And that goes for military or civilian alike, because even though civilians didn't experience bad things in war, there are a lot of things out there just as bad.