Scardigno 1 Danielle Scardigno 04-18-2008 Professor Bravo Sociology of the Family War on the Home Front As everyone knows, the presidential election of 2008 is quickly approaching, and is more publicized now than ever. Many controversial debates and topics are at hand, each candidate with their own personal opinion on them. Although they may be very different, all of the candidates have one thing in common, they are working hard to woo over the millions of Americans that in only a few months, will decide who will become the next president. Among there are many presented issues at hand, one of the most impacting to Americans today is America’s involvement in the War on Terrorism. Although two of the main candidates – John McCain, and Hillary Clinton have completely polar opposite perspectives on the war in Iraq, they both have America’s best interests in mind. While the candidate to be elected may be uncertain, one thing is for sure, the decision made by the next president of the United States regarding America’s involvement in Iraq will have great impact on American families. Although America’s involvement in the war in Iraq has many downsides, perhaps the most obvious and impacting one would be the fact that it separates families from each other for long periods of time. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of American troops risking their lives in Iraq. Husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters have left their families, not knowing if they will ever see them again. One report noted that: “Roughly half of today's soldiers are married with children; 8% are single parents, and 10% have a spouse who is also in uniform”(Gibbs). The great number of people who have a family member serving in the military face many difficulties due to
Scardigno 2 separation and infrequent communication, making every minute that passes as stressful for the soldiers on the field as it is for the families’ back at home. Whether during their time in Iraq, or during their time of rest and relaxation back at home, there is no doubt that soldiers experience many problems and turmoil’s with their family relationships. Lack of communication, stress the great distances and long periods of time that separates these families contribute to as well as cause great strains between marriages and children of the soldiers’. In order to help prevent the somewhat unavoidable tensions couples will experience, many military services provide marriage counseling before and after time served in the military. These counseling sessions are very important to the well-being of the hundreds of thousands of marriages that are being put to the test in this war, one individual stated that they are “essential to keep marriages healthy...It all hinges on soldiers being able to stay soldiers for a long time” (Zoroya). Despite all of the stress and tensions families will encounter, it is greatly important that they stay strong for their loved ones, in fact, “some military wives said they often keep their true feelings to themselves, fearing that they would affect their husbands' morale in the field” (Tull). A strong family bond is not only helpful, but absolutely essential for a soldiers’ well being and positive state of mind during their service. If the aforementioned family problems escalate and are not resolved, they will almost inevitably end in separation and divorce. Unfortunately for the husbands and wives separated during their time served in Iraq, new and existing problems will arise and escalate into larger ones, some of which simply cannot be resolved. Statistics in an article show that: “Last year [2004], 3,325 Army officers' marriages ended in divorce”(Zoroya). Later on in the article, the author further explained that: “The stress of combat, long
Scardigno 3 separations and difficulty readjusting to family life are key reasons for the surge…”(Zoroya). Even if problems between military couples are in fact resolved, experiences in the war make individuals act differently, impairing communication and driving the two apart. In an article, one individual gave his experience on the topic at hand: “I don't know one military family that is still together or anything like they were before the Soldier in the family went to war…”(France-Presse). Amongst other things, the war is threatening the survival of many marriages as well as the bond between two individuals, either causing them to end, or arising many new problems. During this time of violence and hostility, one must not forget the toll the war has taken on the children. Although soldiers go through strenuous and dangerous activities every day, the children who may have a mother or father serving in war, or in some cases, both at the same time suffer as well. Studies have shown that: “…adolescents with family members serving in Iraq had higher heart-rate levels (a sign that they may have been under high levels of stress) …They also found that … the adolescents with military parents showed symptoms of PTSD” (Tull). Due to consistent fear and anticipation of when or even if they will ever see their parents again, children are becoming more stressed, and anxious, finding it more difficult to function and concentrate during school and everyday activities. One of the main candidates in the election of 2008 is a democrat named Hillary Clinton. Although Clinton has many issues that she is adamant about changing as well as restructuring, Hillary stands strongly on her decision to end the war in Iraq, and help bring back our troops to their homes. According to her online campaign, it states that: “If President Bush does not end the war, when Hillary Clinton is president, she will. Her
Scardigno 4 three-step plan would bring our troops home, work to bring stability to the region, and replace military force with a new diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq's future” (hillaryclinton.com). In her plan, Hillary intends to end the war that many Americans feel has gone on for long enough, and help restructure the families that have been separated for so long. Also, to further benefit the family of returned soldiers, her campaign stated she would: “direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member …and their families” (hillaryclinton.com). Unlike the current President Bush, Hillary believes that: “ It is time to begin ending this war -- not next year, not next month - but today” (hillaryclinton.com). According to this candidate, it would be in America’s best interests if we end the war as soon as possible to prevent any further lives from being taken. Unlike Hillary Clinton, republican John McCain has a different approach to handling the war in Iraq. While Hillary wants to take out American troops as soon as possible, McCain instead believes that America should not only continue the war in Iraq, but that we should also increase the number of troops fighting. In his online campaign, candidate John McCain stated: “Increasing U.S. troop levels will expose more brave Americans to danger and increase the number of American casualties … when we authorized this war, we accepted the responsibility to make sure those men and women could prevail…” (Johnmccain.com). McCain firmly believes that it is essential to remain in Iraq in an attempt to complete our mission, and aid Iraq in establish a more powerful government, as well as end violence in Iraq and help create peace. He believes that negligence in doing so would “gravely damage U.S. credibility throughout the world”
Scardigno 5 (johnmccain.com), and that there is too much to loose if we back out now. Although he intends to prolong the war, he proposed a plan to make time served slightly more desirable for the soldiers by “…promis[ing] shorter tours for troops and longer breaks for them at home…American troops headed to Iraq after Aug. 1 would deploy for 12 months, instead of 15” (Myers). McCain further announced that “…troops would remain at home at least a year for each year spent in the field…” (Myers). John McCain firmly believes that we have already been through this war for many years, we might as well finish what we started, and do it right. Although throwing a nation into a full-scale war is bound to bring up many obvious dangers and difficulties, there are also many unseen victims of a war, these victims being the families separated from each other while serving their country. As one individual said, "If the numbers are right, then we have more to worry about than just fighting a war," he says. "We're trying to fight a war with families that are struggling, and that's a real challenge" (Zoroya). Currently, under president George W. Bush, the situation for military families are not looking good, their future only holding more worries, and longer separations, which, depending on the outcome of the election of 2008, could either cease or continue. Although there are small steps being taken in assisting the families torn apart, it will still be a long time before they are together, and have everything return to normal. Hopefully, there will soon be a resolution for one of the biggest issues today –the war on terrorism, and the powerful toll it has taken on American families. The war may end soon, or in a few years; however, it will still be some time before soldiers can recuperate from the war that they have been fighting for years– the war on the home front.