Young Veterans

When I went to Iraq I was the ripe age of 32, my college days were long behind me and I found myself surrounded by, what I considered at the time, to be “kids.” These kids, as I viewed them, have made up 1,049,398 military personnel between the ages of 17-29 who have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. I know my view of my younger fellow service-members was likely seen as condescending at the time, but it has certainly altered after a year in Iraq and since.

At first I felt nothing but sorry for the soldiers whose peers were in college. How could this possibly be the life they had chosen? How could there be so many young people– that have traveled so little and/or had so few life experiences– that actually serve in Iraq? What a shocker to their worldview. How could they possibly die today or tomorrow without having actually lived a life yet?

It is not fair that the youngest tend to be the ones that most often die. I do not have figures but I check the casualty list regularly and I think it would be fair to say that 18-24 year olds are the majority of losses. Part of me, the older female side, wanted to take care of them, but that was not a reality. After all, regardless of age, as soldiers we were all peers in the war zone. We all saw the same terrible things, felt the same fear and wrestled with emotions we had never experienced before. Everyone grows up when they are in a war zone.

I am now sorry that so many young people had to grow up so fast and to become hardened to life long before the majority of the other 99% of the population who have never served do. I wish I could give them innocence in the place of the injustices and complexities they have faced in war. However, I do not hear them asking for the innocence; what I hear are young soldiers who are disgusted by the apathy and ignorance of those who have not had their experiences.

They are young soldiers who have moved beyond the academics of learning and have lived life and not just read about it. Yet, they still have their unbridled youth and the confusion of thoughts and feelings that are so innate within that age group, so many are now trying to find out where they now fit in into this complex world. Some do this through blogging and political action. And some, most importantly through education, this is where they have surpassed their peers. They can now become the more powerful student in school, they can draw more meaning from what they are taught and they can help transform an academic lesson into reality in the classroom with their life experience. ’

Aside from academics, Iraq and Afghanistan have created more politically active service members because they want to feel they can help create and participate in the political environment that will shape their military future. Iraq and Afghanistan have given rise to so many voices that are asking for change; for the military, for the Department of Veterans Affairs and for the basic rights of service-members. And this generation needs to do it for themselves. We can learn a lot from the Vietnam Veterans who paved the path for advocating for veterans issues and we must thank them for this, however, ultimately the fight is our own.

The needs we have today, such as mandatory mental health screenings and more mental health professionals in the VA, need to be fought for those who need the services when they come home from the current wars and are best fought by those who understand the issues their peers face. This is why it is so important for young veterans to get involved politically, even if it is just to vote, because they can influence how they and their buddies will be treated for years to come. Their military experiences give them an insight that so few others can understand and a rare authority regarding the ramifications of war. Such insight and authority can have a powerful impact on politics and that opportunity should not be wasted.