Many presume war has always caused such reaction in men, but was more closely recorded and more directly treated only in recent decades.
And we must remember since 9/11, many of our troops have had multiple deployments into combat zones.
Multiple Deployments.
I always thought this was a terrible thing to do to any servicemember, just because the military law allowed for it.
I also heard that the date one’s active duty ended could be changed, moved forward at the discretion of the military.
I would have hated it , had my end of active duty date been suddenly shifted to 18 more months. Oh, I’d hate to think of it!
That alone would be sure to wear down or damage someone’s psyche. Multiple Deployments most likely ruined more than a few marriages too. Yes, one takes the vows, but some couple don’t do well living separate lives year after year. Resentment can build. Others, the enforced separation matters not, just par for the course.
As opposed to the World War I and II vets who generally got to come home only if they got badly enough wounded. Perhaps the solution is to tell the troops 'fight until you win'. That might have been another factor in Vietnam - 'do your tour and go home' would seem to create a different day-to-day mindset than 'fight until you win or get killed'.