Cost of twenty years of combat in war-torn countries.

Global War On Terrorism

Cost of the 20-year Global War On Terrorism (GWOT).

  • Service members who’ve served in war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Over half of them have deployed more than once.

  • The two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD, in addition, to burn pit exposure.

  • The Afghanistan and Iraq wars cost an estimated $4T and the total cost exceeds $8T when VA benefits are factored in.

20 Years of War & Fallout

The ongoing effects of "invisible wounds" in twenty years of combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other war-torn countries since 9/11.

  • Over 870,000 service members have been brain wounded.

  • Over 8,000 have died in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

  • Over 109,000 have succumbed to suicide and a similar number to opioid overdoses.

The Abandoned 38%

From 2004-2011 in the Army alone, 38% of discharges were under Less-Than-Honorable conditions leaving them without the vital medical care and financial support owed to them and their families.

  • The total number of discharges from honorably to dishonorably and everything in between.

  • The term “less-than-honorable” is an umbrella term used to describe all discharges below an honorable discharge.

  • Less-Than-Honorable discharges make a service member ineligible for benefits through the Veteran’s Administration (VA), including access to medical treatment for combat-related psychological and physical trauma.

The Consequences

Rates of divorce and family alienation, the prevalence of addictive disorders, homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, and suicide exceed those of the general population.

  • The rate of suicide among veterans is 3 times that of the general population resulting in 44 per day.

  • The rate of suicide among women veterans is 8 times that of women in the general population.

  • Up to 40% of veterans in federal prisons and county jails have received less-than-honorable discharges.