The Transition of Iraqi and Afghanistan Veterans from Military to Civilian Life and The Challenges of Reconnecting to Society

Summary

The article tackles the challenges Afghanistan and Iraq veterans faced while transitioning from military to civilian life. Apparently, one of these challenges was the lack of transitional assistance from the government. A lot of veterans experienced the feeling of alienation due to lack of support from the military. Transitioning from veteran to civilian life is not an easy process and it became even more challenging as the military did not provide the resources they needed for a sound and safe transition. Even medical care was provided inadequately and mental health problems were not diagnosed or handled effectively. The institution treated their injuries as invisible because they were caused by war. They did not only fail to recognize the mental side of warriors but also their emotional and spiritual side (Ahern et al, 2015).

Essentially, the purpose of this article is for readers to understand the difficulties and challenges warrior face not only during the war but especially when they are about to transition from veteran to civilian life. The purpose of the article was achieved by using personal accounts of the veterans interviewed by the researcher which they later analysed.

Critical Analysis

The journal article has many strong points. For one, it is very timely considering the current issues in the military particularly in transitional services provided by the government. Though the article tackles the challenges faced by Afghanistan and Iraq veterans as a whole; the article still comprehensively tackles the lack of transitional assistance from the military. This topic is relevant and very important not only to the members of the military but also to the public.

The methodology used by the researchers is in-depth interview which are further analysed. Significantly, the result of the data supports the conclusion of the researchers. The recommendations are also appropriate but they could have provided more for the improvement of future studies about the topic. The methodology used in the article is in-depth interview where the veterans shared their stories about their transition. While this is useful, it is not enough for the researchers to come up with such conclusion. Apart from the interview, the researchers could have provided other materials such as questionnaires to understand specific problems even more. Nonetheless, the article is written comprehensively and the facts are enough for readers to understand the impact of lack of transitional assistance from the military on Afghanistan and Iraq veterans.

Practical Applications/Implications

While the article is backed with thorough research, the result of the study also has implications. For one, it will create a negative impression of the military as the article pertains to the lack of transitional assistance for veterans. While the stories of the veterans are true, they do not apply to all military institutions. Other military institutions are making efforts on providing enough transitional services to veterans so they can go back to their families physically, mentally, financially and emotionally healthy. The readers have to understand that these veterans are US service members who were sent to Afghanistan and Iraq and some of them are no longer in the military. Hence, different military institutions have different ways of providing services for veterans and members of the military also have different warfare and transitional experiences.

Another implication of the study is the impression it creates on people who want to enter the military. The challenges of being in a war are a common knowledge to everyone but the actual challenges faced by real veterans are presented in the article. Thus, it may create a negative impact on people who want to enter the military and probably discourage them.