Many men and women who serve our country have lost their lives in combat or battling mental disorders caused by deployment overseas. Not only have they lost their lives, they have involuntarily left many loved ones behind. As a cost of serving, many have acquired mental illnesses and are forced to live with appalling memories of their past. Countless service members have been traumatically injured, changing their lives forever. In addition, the U.S. and Iraq war has greatly increased the catastrophic debt America is already in. The U.S. and Iraq war should not have happened because it caused more impairment than support. America’s debt is escalating at an alarming rate and needless to say, when the U.S. attacked Iraq, a plethora of money was added. In 2003, America was in $6.8 trillion dollars of debt and by 2011, America had $14.8 trillion dollars of debt (Amadeo 2018). Over eight years, during which a war …show more content…
According to Gabriela Acosta, “By the end of 2008, 1.7 million Americans had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 43% of active-duty service members have children.” Many children are left without a parent due to the war; whether a short time or forever, this has a hefty impact. These children are left with, in most cases, the other parent to look after them. This is a big feat for the spouse to take on. “Depending on the age and developmental stage of the child, this (behavioral issues) can manifest in temper tantrums, separation anxiety, changes in eating habits, a decline in academic performance, mood changes, physical complaints, anger, acting out, or apathy (Acosta).” This is very difficult for the other parent to deal with. They are already dealing with the actuality that their spouse has left and may not be returning. That makes it hard enough to keep a positive outlook for your children’s sake, but when they are upset the whole world comes crumbling