Kayla Williams: Don’t Just Talk About Troubled Vets, Do Something Responsible About Them
By Truman Project Staff | 4.30.12
Truman Fellow Kayla Williams in Foreign Policy – The Best Defense Blog:
Rising suicide rates among military personnel and veterans have received a great deal of attention from the media, advocacy organizations, and pundits. While I appreciate the efforts to raise awareness and address the problem, I am gravely concerned about the tone and method of much of this coverage, some of which reminds me of Mrs. Lovejoy on The Simpsons, flinging her hand to her forehead and gasping “Won’t somebody think of the children?!” without providing solutions.
Rather than simply urging DoD and VA to do “something” or “more,” we should push for specific changes like those identified by CNAS in Losing the Battle and increased use of evidence-based programs such as those identified in the RAND study The War Within.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.