I think family violence, like alcoholism, has been a very real way of life within many of the military services, until such a time as it was identified and a decision was made not to tolerate or at least buy into it any more.

When I was in the Army in the early 60's we all knew of the senior sergeants who could not get through the morning without at least one drink, and many of these folks were abusers as well. I left the Army after one tour and joined the AF, where I remained until I retired, but I saw the same situations extant there, until the medical and social service folks began putting the brakes on the situation. Family Violence would not be tolerated at any Air Force Base, under any condition. Period! Those who ran afoul of this policy soon found themselves involved in involuntary counseling, and if the situation didn't improve, involuntary separation. Additionally, the club system which allowed a service person to drink into insensibility every night after work, to the detriment of the family and their financial situation, soon faced curbs limiting the times and the duration of the time during which cut-rate drinks could be served to its members. This didn't serve as an instantaneous cure for the problems, but did begin to bring it under control, and as far as I know, after being retired for nearly 16 years, family violence, excessive drinking, and fiscal irresponsibility have been greatly curtailed.

OK, so this was the AF, and we were discussing the Army, specifically the Airborne Army and the Special Forces folks, stationed at Ft. Bragg.

Airborne is a group unto itself, even in this day of Star Wars infantry. These are folks who have been schooled from their entry into the military with the idea of jumping out of perfectly functional aircraft, and starting a limited war from wherever they happen to land. I say limited, because there is only so much they can do with the amount of arms and munitions one person can carry into battle on his back, even when parachuted in to the battle zone. These folks and to a lesser extent the Rangers, another group with additional training in existence under deprivation, are firm believers in, "Hey diddle diddle, right up the middle!" frontal assaults on enemy held objectives. This was clearly expressed by Col. Donald Hackworth, a retired Infantry officer from the Viet Nam era, and an outspoken military columnist and military consultant.

The Special Forces, on the other hand are given all this training, but then impressed with the fact that they are too valuable to waste in Light Brigade charges into the cannons, but serve to train and lead vastly larger numbers of local troops to take the objective by subversive means rather than frontal charges,

These folks, like people from SEAL teams, face increases pressure as they live with their counterpart local troops, far from the comforts of even barracks or base life, truing these brave but often inept military into better fighting forces. They serve in groups of 5-10 men, way forward of most friendly support, molding their advised unit into a more effective fighting force, often with improvised arms and equipment.

These folks have to feel tremendous responsibilities and a terrible isolation that can only be eased when they return to a fixed base or come home. Whatever psychological strain people from each of these groups finds themselves facing, they perceive themselves unable to break out of their situations, since in most cases, seeking counseling for psychological problems is tantamount to admitting that they can no longer cope with the responsibilities of their work, and is a career stopper at best.

My experience while living next door to Ft. Bragg, was that the Airborne folks had been told for so long that they were the meanest folks on earth, that they had become dedicated to this belief, and felt that they had to make sure everyone with whom they came into contact knew and appreciated this fact. The SF folks, on the other hand, were the nicest folks you could ever want to meet. Super trained in at least 2-3 specialties, plus at least one additional language and set of local customs, they had a quiet pride and self confidence that comes from knowing that they could accomplish taskings in a manner that no other force could do. They didn't have to prove their mettle each night in bars, or in personal relationships; they were good and everyone knew it. But bring them back from long months, spent in primitive conditions, under unreasonable stress, and they tend to seem frayed about the edges, and frequently their family lives show it.

As to the comment that a military wife's lot is little different from any other single parent's life; this does not take into consideration the stress of having a loved one deployed half way around the word, facing unknown dangers, with a good possibility that he may never return, and she and her family will be forced out of the military housing they currently occupy, with nothing but six months of her husband's pay, and the proceeds from the government insurance policy provided serving members. Nor does it take into account the very real possibility of him being returned an invalid, unable to continue to enjoy the active lifestyle he has known for all of his adult life, forceably medically retired and dependent on the limited retired and medical benefits provided by a "grateful county" for the rest of his life.

Perhaps the wonder should not be that 10-15 serving men have suffered such unfortunate violent incidents, but that so few, under these circumstances, have done so.

Dave
SGT, USA, Beat Feet
MSGT, USAF, Ret.