The drug abuse began when the military prescribed Tramadol for back pain. Then the VA mailed him bottles of pills. Until he overdosed in front of his kids.
Military Family
Posted inReflections
Remembering the Service and Sacrifice of Muslim Veterans Among the Crescents and Stars of Arlington National Cemetery
During a trip to Arlington to honor Muslim veterans, an Air Force officer reflects on how her career of military service began the daughter of Pakistani immigrants..
Posted inReflections
A Military Child Learns What It Means to Be an American. By Leaving.
A Military Child Learns What It Means to Be an American. By Leaving – “So, where are you from?”… I didn’t know where I was from.
Posted inReflections
Becoming a Veteran After Choosing to Forget My Military Service at Fort Hood
As a woman, I never knew if a soldier was approaching me to correct a crooked beret or to ask for my number,” writes an Army veteran of Fort Hood.
Posted inReflections
Aperol Spritzes and Dreams of Post-Pandemic Biergartens in Lindau
Marriage counseling alongside soldiers from Special Operations Command was not what a military spouse imagined for her first trip to Europe.
Posted inReflections
A Veteran’s 30-Year Journey to Learn About a Friend Killed During the Vietnam War
For decades, he searched for information about a friend killed during in Vietnam, a journey that ended visiting the gravesite with the Marine’s mother.
Posted inReflections
“The Distance Between You Grows”—the Many Difficult Truths of Military Family Homecomings
Back-to-back deployments and explosions were “a recipe for disaster,” writes a military spouse. “For my family, reintegration lasted years.”
Posted inReflections
The “Toxic” Legacy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and Its Lingering Effects on Veterans and Military Families
“My orientation isn’t a phase, and I’m not willing to leave a vital part of my identity hidden.” “Don’t ask, don’t tell” lingers for LQBTQ veterans.
Posted inReflections
‘Time Heals Old Wounds. So Does a Bottle of Rum’
A father reconnects with his ex-wife during their son’s graduation from Army basic training. “I told her she was a good mother.”
Posted inReflections
“They Didn’t Make It?”—When Your Brother’s Homecoming Starts in a Burn Ward
After an IED exploded in Iraq, a badly burned Marine asks his brother if his teammates survived. “He knows I won’t lie to him. We are both warriors.”
Posted inReflections
Moving Again. And Again. My Experience as a Military Spouse.
It’s not easy to start over in a new place, and few people understand this better than a military spouse.
Posted inNewsroom
Without Birth Control Help, Marines’ Readiness Suffers
Declining access to birth control services and education at boot camp are linked to increased birth rates in the first two years of military service.
