Share the Focus

     In class, we were discussing the incredible amount of attention that 9/11 receives, but looking at the big picture, is it too much? In Afghanistan, an average of 31 American soldiers die each month and recently there has been an increase in the number of soldier and veteran deaths as a result of suicide. In fact, as Nicholas Kristof states in the New York Times, "For every soldier killed in war this year, about 25 veterans now take their own lives." A likely cause of this is that the health of the veterans is not as big of a priority to the government as it should be. Of those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, "45 percent...are now seeking compensation for their injuries, in many cases psychological ones." It does not seem fair that these soldiers fight for our country and then come home to have to fight for their psychological health. The government is concerned with whether or not the soldiers come home, but are not thinking enough about the conditions that they may be in when that happens. An army veteran, Maj. Ben Richards, who suffered two concussions while in Afghanistan, told Kristof that 90 of his soldiers were hit by a bomb blast, but barely any of them got much treatment at all. While in service, soldiers may have to wait around 396 days to retire, even if it is due to a medical issue. For the amount of work that soldiers put in to help our country, it is a shame how little focus they receive from the government, and how little sympathy they get from American citizens.
      Is it right that people still pay so much attention to 9/11, a tragedy that happened 11 years ago, even though there are tragedies happening every day for American soldiers and their families?  9/11 was an unimaginable crisis and deserves to be respected, but so do the soldiers that have continuously fought for our country.

To read more from Nicholas Kristof's article click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/war-wounds.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www