When my best friend joined the Marines, war became more real to me. It was effecting me personally and made me have a different view on war. The first time he came back from bootcamp, he was different, not in a bad way, just different. I assumed it was because he has not been home in a while so I tried to ignore it. The next time he came home, he just served 8 months in Iraq, and was even more different than before. He was quieter and not himself. I started to get nervous that this would be an everlasting effect.
After four years of the Marines, he is home and is himself again. For a while I was nervous about his mental health but he is doing excellent. Although he is alright, it doesn't mean everyone who serves deals with the traumatic experiences. Therefore, I wanted to research if the number of soldiers suffering with PTSD has increased in the past several years. I have heard more about this disorder now than ever before, I wonder if it just more publicity now, or it is actually affecting more people.
War has always been a global issue, but in the last few years, the aftermath of war has become a main focus. Post traumatic stress disorder has affected an increasing amount of service members. War has devastating effects on the world but especially on our troops because their memories can linger on forever. Not only do these experiences affect the troops, they have a lasting effect on their family members.
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