It is not just that. Once a guy leaves the service things change. It is like leaving a family. Every vet I know misses the deep friendships only found in the brotherhood of service. My father and I both served. He has been out for over 15 years and I have been out for 12. The thing that we both miss is the bonds we had with men like ourselves.
In the civilian world, friendships are shallow in comparison. You may have friends but the deep bond is not there. What is happening now, is men are leaving the service and returning home with the weight of what they saw and did. Once away from the service they do not have someone to understand and relate with on a daily bases. This leads to the depression and for too many suicide.
Part of that loneliness and lack of folks you can relate to could come from these guys not joining vet organizations like VFW and AL for whatever reason. I never understood why they didn’t. I had my application in after I got back from Afghanistan.
“Once away from the service they do not have someone to understand and relate with on a daily bases. “
Is it helpful for veterans to have other veterans around? Maybe at work, etc?
I served too, but was never in any danger, just here in the states doing paperwork. When I came off active duty I was in the Reserves for 8 more years, when I stopped that, I missed those people like crazy and still they are some of the people I like the best. There is nothing like the camaraderie of the service.