The hero’s journey is not a new concept but often thought of in works of fiction and rarely do people consider it in modern terms. However, an article recently published by a group of authors who consist of post-9/11 veterans, including Nicholas Armstrong, the Senior Director of Research and Policy at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, uses the hero’s journey traditions going as far back as ancient Greece to reinvigorate the discussion of Modern Warriors. The challenges that many veterans face transitioning back to day-to-day society are endless. This newly published article proposes recommendations for stakeholders to help reintegrate the Modern Warrior into society and also help mitigate the disturbing increase in veteran suicide.
More than 4 million post-9/11 MWs have served in the US military since 2001, comprising approximately 20% of the 19 million MWs in the United States. Combat exposure and other service-related stressors directly contribute to the onset of psychological disorders in this population. As more MWs continue to reintegrate to civilian life after military service, it is important to consider how contending with reintegration stressors impact MWs’ psychological wellbeing and risk for suicide. At highest risk are young post-9/11 MWs (between the ages of 18–34); their rate of suicide has increased significantly more than any other age group, with rates doubling from approximately 22 suicide deaths per 100,000 population in 2006 to 44.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 population in 2017.
These disturbing trends led President Donald Trump to sign Executive Order 13861 to establish the ‘President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End the National Tragedy of Suicide’ (PREVENTS) task force charged with focusing on community engagement strategies. PREVENTS attempts to apply early intervention and engage the broader community to reach MWs before they experience extensive mental health symptoms. The order encourages federal government, academia, employers, members of faith-based and other community, non-governmental, and non-profit organizations and the veteran community to all work together to develop a strategy that will truly impact the current epidemic faced by MWs.
Read the full article written from a group of post-9/11 MWs that have all faced unique challenges in their own struggle and speak from a place of experience that other MWs can relate to. The discussion touches on the shortfalls in preventing veteran suicide and what steps can be taken to reduce the national tragedy.
