http://news.yahoo.com/prosecutor-shooting-dad-veteran-justified-162630245.html
A tragic accident happened recently in the family of a veteran who was in services for over 25 years and retired because of the health issues. The court dropped the charged against a 14-year-old who, protecting his family, had to shoot his father to death.
A 44-year-old veteran of Afghan war was suffering the post traumatic stress disorder and supposedly was receiving some kind of medical help. He became abusive and eventually life-threatening towards his family.
When war veterans are coming back to the “civil world” they receive a psychological assistance to help them transitioning. There are many talks and debates on this topic, stating that veterans do not get enough needed help. The horrible accident that happened in the family is unfortunately not the first and only one. Tragedies like that happen quite often: family members, friends, coworkers and just random people can be victims of the mental disorder of veterans. As the latter risk their life to protect their compatriots, doesn’t the society have to provide them with the ultimate, accessible and affordable assistance upon their return from the battlefield? Billions of dollars are spent on the armament and wars, but how come there are always talks about the “deficit” of available services for veterans due to the money shortage? There are lots of veterans students on college campuses. Certain services are available for them. But due to the nature of the place setting (universities) the main focus remains on academics for veterans, thus it should be more aggressive outreach especially for those who just left the active duties. To my mind, those services have to work closely with veterans, their families (as they also have to be acknowledged on how to help their nearest and dearest to adjust to the “normal life”), and work settings (colleges in particular).