February 28, 2010 Veterans' safety net now requires many threads
The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton opened in 2007.
(Jonathan Miano/Sun-Times Media)
It's often said that dying on the battlefield is the ultimate sacrifice that can be made for one's country.
There is little disagreement that the adage holds true in the country's current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But many of those serving on those faraway fighting fields also are giving up treasured parts of the lives they used to lead once their deployments end and they at last come home.
After more than a dozen years of working with returning veterans, Bob Adams of Winfield has watched the issue change substantially in recent times and has developed some understanding of how and why.
The Vietnam War vet and licensed clinical social worker sees a litany of differences between his service era and the current one. Today's battles, for example, often are being waged in urban settings, with civilians all around.
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By the numbers
230
Active U.S. military members who committed suicide during 2008.
160
Army suicides during 2009, a new record.
20 percent
Proportion of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder.
$30 billion
Disability compensation paid during 2009 to about 3 million veterans.
5,000
Estimated annual suicides among all veterans.
6,360
Coalition fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, of which 5,385 were U.S. military (through Feb. 25).
Sources: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, U.S. Department of Defense, Veterans Health Administration >>>>>
War's ghosts after two tours in Iraq
March 1, 2010 The triggers can come out of nowhere.
Marines and Iraq veterans Keith Ellis and Sarah Raby eat dinner with their children at their home in Hanover Park.
(Jonathan Miano/Sun-Times Media)
Sometimes, rolling down an otherwise unremarkable stretch of road, Sarah Raby and Keith Ellis will spot a box or other sort of container left alongside the curb. Whichever of them is driving, the car suddenly cuts a wide berth around the nondescript object. It's almost an involuntary reflex.
"It's like a muscle memory, I guess, thinking that something's going to happen," Ellis said.
The couple, former Marines who have both served two tours of duty in Iraq, can't forget that in some places, a plain-looking box can contain deadly explosives. >>>>>







The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton opened in 2007.
Marines and Iraq veterans Keith Ellis and Sarah Raby eat dinner with their children at their home in Hanover Park.







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