Typical onset of most mental illness's overlaps military age. So, a certain percentage of service personell were going to develop mental illness regardless. Compared with prior conflicts, less than 20% is good progress.
In fact - I would be a little suspicious of any figure significantly less than that..
American warriors are certainly trained, equipped and motivated to deliver an ungodly level of destruction and death to ANY enemy — or kill up close in a very intimate and nerve racking scenario..
American warriors are NOT mechanical robots, drug crazed suicide bombers, mind numbed zealots or insensitive human being.... American warriors are trained to retain their humanity and the truth of that fact is demonstrated constantly......
These young American warriors are ENTITLED to have “mental issues” with the memories and mental pictures or mental stress they have experienced... Treat them as the wounded warriors they are and stop stigmatizing them as somehow “nuts”....
It's their very humanity and sanity that causes them the issues they're having from the experiences they've endured...
I only pray their nightmares end soon - and they don't harm themselves or loved ones in the interim....
20% is probably lowballing it for Soldiers (etc.) with “hands-on” combat experience. But that is only five years into the current conflict. Let’s not forget what the “P” in PTSD stands for. That number has nowhere to go but up.