Keeping Faith with our War-Torn: Rebuilding Broken Spirits

The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a tremendous toll on the bodies of our wounded warriors over the last decade, and they have taken an even bigger toll on the spirits of our warriors. These broken spirits make it nearly impossible for service members to come home and transition to a successful life, in or out of uniform. Treatment for these broken spirits is complicated, varied, and often ineffective. Our nation must bind together to heal the spiritual wounds of our warriors or they will not reach their potential, and many will remain forever broken, dependent on the government or their communities for the rest of their lives. At the very least, many of them will display patterns of behavior that will alienate them from their communities or even their own loved ones. The problem of broken spirits is beyond the capacity of the medical community to solve. We must go beyond the medical diagnosis and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and treat the whole person. Many of our national leaders have made keeping faith with our wounded, ill, and injured service members a high priority. President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Army Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey, and Commandant of the Marine Corps James Amos have all used the term as a catch-phrase. Our national leadership should enact major comprehensive legislation that is focused on keeping faith with our warriors and their families. The Keeping Faith with Warriors Act should make a long-term commitment to ensuring that our broken-spirited warriors have the best chance for success in the future. The nation must bind together keep faith with our war-torn. If this is not done, the costs in terms of the nation's treasure will be much higher over the long term. Strategy Research Project.