Life After War: A Global Case Study

Wars have been a part of human history for thousands of years and have become increasingly destructive as industrialization and technology continues to advance. Each year, the U.S. military recruits some 175,000 young Americans. At the heart of its pitch is a sacred promise to take care of those who serve—what President Abraham Lincoln described in his second inaugural address as the national duty "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." Service members are an irreplaceable component of U.S. national security. And because the United States relies on an all-volunteer force, how the country treats its troops during and after their service matters when it comes to sustaining this critical component of national strength. But despite some recent improvements, the VA and other federal agencies struggle to keep other promises to active service members and veterans after they come home. It is now our duty as a nation to tend to our veterans when they return from overseas and are discharged from military service.