Collateral damage on the home front...
Another unspeakable tragedy of war's effects: My cousin's daughter, a four-tour veteran of the Iraq war, killed herself yesterday. She had been one of the last to leave, arriving home in time to celebrate Christmas with her young son. I grew up having a close relationship with my cousin but we drifted apart when he moved across the country and raised his family, seeing him only a few times in the last two decades. So I didn't know his daughter, only hearing about her through the family grapevine. But it's not important whether or not I knew her or that I was related to her. What's important is that our country's military family is in deep trouble. The suicide rate of returning soldiers (according to reports, 18 per day!) is terrifying and shameful and heartbreaking.
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