This past weekend was the 10th Memorial Day since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. Initiatives such as Joining Forces are actively painting a pretty picture of the American support for military families and their active duty loved ones, but free concerts, parades, discounts and yellow ribbons are not enough for military families. These aren’t enough to bring our loved ones home; and they certainly won’t console the families who’ve lost loved ones. Two months ago we reached a toll of 4,450 deaths of troops in combat. The war is far from over. Almost 100,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. And Iraq? For a “non-combat operation”, there were 22 soldier deaths this year.

In reality, the American presence in the middle east is hurting our troops in ways that we can’t see and commanding officers and the general public often ignore. After a decade of war, the suicide rates among soldiers have increased more than 150% from 2001-2009. This means that almost 50% of our veterans are returning home and suffering from the invisible and often untreated wounds of PTSD. Astonishingly, 1 in 3 soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan say they can’t get mental health care when they need it. Given multiple deployments, intense combat and little support from superiors, it is little surprise that suicide rates among active duty are twice as high as that of the civilian population. Additionally, veterans with PTSD are six times more likely to attempt suicide.

We are proud to support the efforts of Iraq Veterans Against the War with Operation Recovery; an initiative to stop the deployment of servicemembers with trauma (PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, or Military Sexual Trauma) and fight for the ‘right to heal’ for all servicemembers.  They’ve recently deployed a team of organizers to Ft. Hood, Texas, the base with the highest suicide rates

As MFSO, we want the troops home today, and we want them fully supported when they get here. This has always been our slogan, and it continues to be our mission.

Take action:

Sign our petition to Ret. General Stanley McChrystal asking him to step down as co-chair of Joining Forces; military families need a compassionate advocate, not one with a history of torture, lies, and coverups. Click here for background info on why we think McChrystal is the wrong choice for the job.

Visit IVAW’s Operation Recovery page to find more ways to get involved with their campaign.