Families Serve, Too

This Memorial Day, as we honor the brave men and women who have given their lives for our country, we should extend that honor to the families who serve, too, when loved ones leave for long deployments or return, injured.

Today, the war wounds we see are often coupled with the ones we cannot. According to RAND, about 300,000 U.S. troops are suffering from major depression or post-traumatic stress; 320,000 have sustained a traumatic brain injury. Many service members and their families will struggle -- financially and psychologically -- with the transition from combat to civilian life.

Our newest veterans are in economic distress. A growing number are severely rent burdened -- 500,000 paying more than 50% of their income on rent. One in five veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are unemployed. Complicating matters, the majority of employers recently surveyed admit they don't fully understand the qualifications ex-service members offer. Despite skills honed in the service, many will need in-depth assistance -- in the form of education, training and job placement -- finding and transitioning to civilian jobs.

Injured heroes are wounded in deeper ways, too. Many face intense cognitive and psychological issues, fall into substance abuse, experience depression and anxiety. Recent figures reveal more than 16,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are dependent upon alcohol; 7,000 more have sought treatment for drug addiction. Intervention is necessary, and can be effective. But it's time we looked more closely at new methods of prevention that address the trauma that lies at the root of this growing social problem.

Children are also suffering. More than two million kids with parents in the military sought outpatient mental health care last year -- twice the number from the start of the Iraq war. That's because children of injured and fallen heroes are prone to feelings and behaviors mainstream programs cannot always adequately address. Without special attention, their troubles can affect their schoolwork, relationships, wellness, and ultimately their capacity to thrive as adults. More research and training are needed to better understand, diagnose and treat children of those who are injured, have PTSD or other war-related trauma. Special counseling and intervention which we fund, developed in collaboration with national experts, is working. Through deeper collaboration, and more public and private partnerships, we can help more children in more places deal with the damage that lingers long after their parents return from deployment.

Spouses need help, too. About half of our nation's service members are married. For them, the emotional weight of rehabilitation and transition make just staying together taxing. Partners of those with hidden injuries face their own grief and depression as they struggle to reunite their families after long separations. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted the growing affect of deployment on spouses: marital dissatisfaction, divorce and declining emotional health. This is a looming public health issue, since most military families will ultimately move outside their community, requiring the services of civilian medical and mental health professionals. Financial difficulties exacerbate the stress, particularly for spouses who have been forced to give up jobs to act as full-time caregivers. The recently signed Caregivers Act will help provide vital financial support, but fuller measures are needed.

This Memorial Day, as we celebrate the service and sacrifice of our nation's heroes, we must remember this: Military families serve, too. They need special attention dealing with the economic and emotional complexities of piecing their lives together. Today, we'll raise flags across the halls of government, on baseball fields and front porches, and at community centers nationwide. Let's use this day as an opportunity to salute our military families, and recommit ourselves to working together to give them the best chance for successful futures.

René Bardorf, Executive Director of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, is an expert on family readiness and injured support in the Armed Services. As a member of a military family with multiple deployments, René has a deep understanding of the complex issues military families can face during times of war and transition. In her work, she helps identify the challenges that arise during the reintegration of soldiers, service members and their families into their communities and helps find and fund the nation's most effective programs to address them.