Soldiers' divorce rates up sharply

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-06-07-soldier-divorces_x.htm

The number of active-duty soldiers getting divorced has been rising sharply with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
The trend is severest among officers. Last year, 3,325 Army officers' marriages ended in divorce — up 78% from 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, and more than 31/2 times the number in 2000, before the Afghan operation, Army figures show. For enlisted personnel, the 7,152 divorces last year were 28% more than in 2003 and up 53% from 2000. During that time, the number of soldiers has changed little.

The Army has no comparable data for past wars.

The stress of combat, long separations and difficulty readjusting to family life are key reasons for the surge, Army officials say.

"Rising through the ranks, every subsequent job gets more difficult, more intense and more demanding," says Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman. "So the stressors are extreme in the officer corps, especially when we're at war, and officers have an overwhelming responsibility to take care of their soldiers as well as the soldiers' families. There's a lot of responsibility on the leaders' shoulders, which, I can assure you, takes away from the home life."

* and his Family Values folks destroying marriages!

[rooboy]

1. I don't understand.

One would think that Jesus would keep a person's SACRED marriage together whilst one was off fighting a holy war... :sarcasm:

[Mizmoon]

2. At least gays can't marry

and the sanctity of marriage has been preserved. :sarcasm:

[liberal N proud]

3. But we are at war and Saddam was a bad man

and the world is a safer place with out him.
and remember 9/11 and and ... and....
:sarcasm:

These SOB's have not care one for the lives of the people fighting their dirty little war.

[izzie]

4. I think it is just young people and this goes on all over

You have a group about the same age and you can count them so it looks bad. I bet you would see the same in say young men who drive trucks all over the country. Or young lawyers.

[cap]

6. no... given the high amount of mental illness in vets

not every wife can take being around.

[izzie]

10. I still think it is just an age group thing.

Having lived the service life for years and years I think I do understand this life some what. Fast marriage in any young group are high in the Div. rates.

[Ilsa]

11. What they are reporting is an Increase in divorce rates

not just a high rate of divorce among younger people, which is true, BTW.

I bet more enlisted stay together because of financial considerations; IOW, the wife can't afford to leave, especially with kids. Perhaps in the officers' group, it is easier to afford splitting up.

[just a girl]

19. Keep in mind the soldiers can't file for divorce til their deployment ends

I know many front line soldiers that want to separate from their spouses, but the military won't let them even FILE for divorce until after their deployment comes to an end. Even then they're required to go through counseling before signing the paperwork.

[Hobarticus]

21. That's probably not a bad idea...

Maybe they realize that they're better off getting those troops out of that shitty enviornment, before they take on a life-altering decisions like divorce? Bet it's hard for them to think more than five minutes into the future, right now.

And, welcome to DU!!!

[cap]

23. check the stats on mental illness

among returnees -- 17% have PTSD.

[Wright Patman]

5. After 9-11 this was the ticket to sex appeal

for the young guys. Through the ages women have cooed "I just love a man in uniform."

Sick and psychotic. An appeal to the baser side of human nature. Mercifully, as do all fads, this one's wearing off. Even the morons are beginning to suspect they've been lied to from the very start.

The last ones to "get it" will be Southern Baptist pastors. They still believe Dubya is Son of God V2.0 even as their collections are beginning to decline.

My theory on the latter phenomenon is that the seniors who make up the bulk of the tithers heard something about Junior cutting Social Security and so they're not willing to "give to God" as much if it might mean eating dog food at some point in the future.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Just another example of Bu$h's family values

Close all the bases in the US and set up new ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Relocate all the troops to hostile territory and force them to leave their families behind. Way to go W.

Good thing the fristians haven't noticed that divorce is the #1 destroyer of the institution of marriage.

[TahitiNut]

8. I guess the grounds are adultery.

They're fucking Iraq. :silly:

[mbperrin]

9. Gee, go figure...

family separated by thousands of miles, contact is sporadic, one spouse is in physical danger every moment of every day; the other spouse is under attack by bill collectors, hucksters, and worry every moment of the day; throw some kids into the mix, voila! Instant divorce....

Gotta love those * family values!!

"War is Unhealthy for Children and Other Living Things"

[Debau2005]

12. My situation...

My fiance is deployed. We did not marry before he left for this reason. His homecoming, whenever that may be, is going to be a happy time but then comes the dealing with the future. What has he seen or done that he will not talk about? What poisons are in his body that may affect him physically, psychologically, mentally? There are thousands of more questions, and the government or military is willing to help address these issues. Their so called psychological screening is not worth the time in most cases, and their family counseling is for the birds as well, all they want is to get you out of their office.

Try getting a night's sleep with a man who dreams of combat and acts it out in his dreams. I do not fear for my safety, but there have been times that I was concerned he might accidently hit me in the night with his hand or elbow. I have slept in the other room to avoid this. This decision was agonizing as he was home on leave and our time was brief.

Once he is home, he is not out of the military due to the Stop Loss. I will live with the daily fear that at any moment he will be told to return to duty.

His company is being sold, therefore he may be unemployed when he gets home. So we add financial burdens on top of everything else.

So please don't assume that the high divorce rate is due to kids marrying too soon, we are in our mid-30's, or because of someone's infidelity, deployments now are not like they were in Nam. There are not call girls on every corner, looking for an American husband.

[readmylips]

13. Deba, you have to make the biggest decision you'll ever..

make in your whole life; marriage. You have big doubts about his relationship. You don't have to feel guilty about running for your life and that of the children you may someday have. Little george bush caused your problem, now he wants you to pay for it.

My step-son has been to Iraq five times. He's been in the service for 16 years. He's married and has four little kids. His wife suffers from post-birth podium. Her entire days are spent sleeping, watching radical TV and listening to radical radio, including those evangelical nuts. The oldest daughter takes care the little kids. My step-son wants a divorce badly. He's already on anti-depressant medicine and a whole bunch of other medications. Their home looks like a war zone. He went to the military family counselor and to a church counselor. Nothing improved. They have now become totally isolated and refuse to allow us to visit. We live in different far way states. The last time we saw them, my step-son treated the kids as if they were in the military; harsh, over powering, screaming and cursing. But they love little george bush, ann coulter, jerry falwell and all the nuts.

[Debau2005]

15. Luckily...

My soldier started out as a moderate repug, but has begun to see the light. He has realized that this is never ending and that due to the actions of the current crazed administration, we have to worry about future deployments for a long time to come.

:scared:

[Roland99]

16. Hang in there, Debau2005!

And I hope all goes well when your fiance is finally home for good!

[Roland99]

14. Well, let's look at the dynamics of the situation:

1) Women having to live by themselves or taking care of the family by themselves for extended periods with, in many cases, less money coming in. That leads to stress and financial problems and, inevitably, fights and destruction of marriage upon the return of the soldier. Also, some soldiers are having difficulty getting a job upon return, adding even more financial stress to a strained marriage.

2) Spouses left behind missing the companionship and sometimes looking outside the marriage and that leads to, well, divorce.

3) PTSD symptoms from the returning soldiers. Those returning have spent months and months worrying about every little object on the side of a road being an IED or hearing mortar fire or machine-gun fire. The death and destruction seen and involved in also destroys the psyche of a normal human being. That exhibits itself in increased anger, arrogance, and even fear once they're home. Again, another major stressor that can wreak havoc on a marriage.

[ckramer]

17. One of the possible solutions is

hire professional sex workers and station them in Iraq and Afghanistan to release the sexual frustration.

[Protagoras]

18. Divorce, suicide, alcoholism, depression, domestic violence

yadda yadda yadda.

In other words...it's not healthy to take normal people and send them abroad in illegal wars to slaughter other people.

Yeah I figured we learned that lesson a while back but guess not.

[DonMeyer]

20. They need to keep the domestic bases open

The soldiers have to know that they can have a normal life back home if we are going to keep anyone in the military.

[oneold1-4u]

22. Bases closed!

In closing the many bases, they claim they don't need, they are also closing down any military medical facilities that could be used by those who will return or their families while they are gone!
Since one half of returned vets from VN are GONE and they didn't give them but little help, they see the way for getting out of costs of the future for all military. The new soldier needs to know the truth! They and their family may have little now but on return with or without any lasting injury, they are in deep s---t. Their insurance is good for only 3 months after separation, and there is no job, and they are out of military housing and can't rent a decent home for $1000 a month or have a down payment on a $3 hundred thousand house!

[Rainscents]

32. DonMeyer... Welcome to DU!!!

:hi:

[warsager]

24. War swells US army divorce rate

The number of US army officers getting divorced has soared in the past few years, the Pentagon says, a trend blamed on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2004 the rate of divorce was more than three times as high as in 2002, figures showed.

"The stressors are extreme in the officer corps, especially when we're at war," an army spokeswoman said.

In another sign of strain on the army, it failed to meet its recruiting target for the fourth straight month.

The army actually lowered its target for May, the Pentagon said, but still fell short of the new goal.

***more***

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4075270.stm

Perfectly aligned with the FUNDAMENTALIST'S ideals, huh?

[liberaliraqvet26]

25. so much for family values huh

some vets have had their 5th anniversaries and have slept in the same bed about 300 times.

[central scrutinizer]

26. No, it is gay marriages

that are destroying the sacred institution of marriage - our anointed-by-God president himself said so.

[99Pancakes]

27. Failed to meet recruiting goals?

Why not hire some fags? Wouldn't BushCo want to see them blown away? Hey! What a great opportunity for the Great Amurikan Purging.

[RaRa]

28. Sure, blame it on war

and not their backward ass culture of encouraging 18 year old kids to marry. Then they make it almost impossible (financially speaking) to divorce when these kids figure out that 9 months away from each other makes things change. My cousin married a navy guy only after his ex-wife remarried. Even though they (my cousin and her then boyfriend - really my cousin) were raising his kids, he had to pay his fully employed ex ALOT of his salary until she remarried. Never mind what these wars are doing to them and the lack of military medical coverage. Anyone read today's "salon.com"?

[lebkuchen]

34. There are a lot of screwed up family situations in the military

to be sure.

Multiple marriages, with offspring, abound.

[xray s]

29. our country will be torn apart for the next 20 years thanks to BushCo

Divorce, crime, murder, drug and alcohol addiction will soar thanks to the destruction of our moral fabric thanks to BushCo's War for Oil.

[Horse with no Name]

30. My brother has been married 6 months

and has slept with his wife twice.
He is a Marine. She joined the Navy to prove something to him (not sure what)when she graduated from college.
He has served two tours in Iraq and when he reupped--they made him non-deployable. He is now a drill sgt. Had enough of the desert--so he transferred to NC.
They promised her when she joined she would be stationed in WV.
However, when she got her orders, she was stationed in San Diego.
So they got married so they would have to transfer her. Then they deployed her.
(They had dated 3 years prior to getting married, so it wasn't like that wasn't the plan all along.)
Gotta love the recruiter lies and "family values".:sarcasm:

[lebkuchen]

35. The good news is, they can't have kids~

Chances are w/this grueling routine, either of them would likely end up in another relationship before the child was born.

[randr]

31. Republicans Value NO Families!

[lebkuchen]

33. Stars and Stripes picked this up as well, but of course

Divorce rate among active-duty Army officers, enlisted has risen dramatically

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=29595

The divorce rate among active-duty soldiers rose dramatically last year, especially among Army officers.

In 2004, a total of 3,325 Army officers saw their marriages end in divorce, 6 percent of all marriages among officers, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center, the Pentagon’s statistics-gathering arm. That’s up 78 percent from 2003 statistics at 1,866 and nearly triple the rate in 2001, which saw 1,145 divorces.

Among enlisted soldiers, 7,152 filed for divorce in 2004 (3.5 percent of total marriages), according to the Manpower Center. Those figures are up 28 percent from 2003 (with 5,587) and up 52 percent from 2001 (with 4,513).

Divorce rates among the other services have increased only modestly or not at all in the same time period.

more...(the chart at the above URL is worth a look)