persuasive essay on veterans

148 Veterans Essay Topics & Military Essay Ideas

🏆 best veterans essay topics, 🔎 easy veterans research paper topics, 👍 good research topics about veterans & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting veterans research titles, 💡 great ideas of essay on veterans, 📌 simple veterans essay ideas, ⭐ excellent military persuasive essay topics.

• The Paralyzed Veterans of America Case Study
• The Problems of Substance Abuse in Homeless Veterans
• The Effect of Extra-Curricular Activities on the Academic Performance of Veteran Students
• The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
• Gaps in Equity Related to Mental Health Access for Veterans
• Veterans After the Vietnam War
• Pot for Pain: Medical Marijuana for Veterans
• Mental Health Problems Among Veterans Some service members are at a high risk of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
• Homeless War Veterans in America The problem of homelessness is increasing in the country. When the financial position of the country worsens, the number of homeless veterans increases.
• Veteran Treatment and Florida’s State Strategies The accessibility of health management services has been an issue for numerous vulnerable groups in Miami, FL.
• Student Veterans’ Experience: Photovoice Methodology Nikhil Tomar’s article discusses an analysis of the lived experience of student veterans that uses photovoice methodology.
• Veterans Administration Department: Organization Problems Today, not many organizations are ready to cooperate with veterans and offer them appropriate working and living conditions.
• Northport Department of Veteran Affairs There are many challenges that the Northport Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) faces. One challenge is that despite the numerous efforts.
• Veterans’ Transition From the Military to Civilian Life This paper examines the main problems encountered by veterans during the transition from the military to civilian life, for example, social stigmas and drug abuse.
• The Experience of Substance Abuse in Homeless Veterans The problem of homelessness often affects the most vulnerable segments of society, one of them being veterans. This particular group also experiences significant issues.
• Health Care Policy for Veterans With Mental Illness The paper discusses The National Research Action Plan as the current policy designed in 2013 to improve the health services for veterans, service members, and their families.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Controversy A deep symbolic image for some and a questionable faceless wall for others – the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has become controversial since the layout was accepted.
• Statue of Liberty and Vietnam Veterans Memorial The Statue of Liberty and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have many differences but are not devoid of common messages that underline their significance.
• Veterans Sacrificed Their Health for Us: Feature Release You wake up every morning and enjoy peaceful skies over your head. However, you do not think of those who provide this peace to you and your family.
• American Homeless Veterans’ Needs: An Op-Ed Of every 10,000 American veterans, 21 experienced homelessness at the beginning of 2020. This number seems small to common citizens, but it is huge to veterans.
• Secrets to Living a Long Life: Narrated by 109 Years Old Veteran Everyone in this life is looking forward to having a nice long life. The story of Richard Overton about his secrets to living a long life will have one dazzled.
• Wounded Veterans Do Not Receive Proper Care: News Release American veterans put their lives on the line to save us from enemies. However, when they return to civilian life, they find the transition difficult.
• The Veteran Homelessness Issue Analysis While the official statistics on homeless veterans are relatively low, the statistics do not include veterans who experience financial struggles.
• Homeless Veterans: Analysis of Cases To deal with the veterans’ mental health, the government, in conjunction with the healthcare system, is giving therapy to veterans to aid in combat PTSD and depression.
• Readjustment Counseling When Working With Veterans Readjustment counseling of veterans may range from simple guidance in employment or education to more complex instances of offering to counsel for those that experienced trauma.
• Civil War Veterans and Crime in America Podcast by Handley-Cousins and Earls explores how American society and its disabled soldiers coped with the perceptions of service, disability, and government responsibility.
• Covid-19 Effects on Treatment-Seeking Veterans The article under analysis is “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment-seeking veterans in the UK with preexisting mental health difficulties…” by Hendrikx et al.
• Veterans in the Criminal Justice System There are links between military service and criminal behavior. Multiple offenses are not uncommon among veterans, and the lack of further support will have a detrimental effect.
• Homeless Veterans in Ohio State This reportage will touch upon the problem of the low-income social group of homeless veterans. It is the duty of American society to provide them with the necessary support.
• Military Sexual Trauma: PTSD in Female Veterans The following paper suggests a literature review on the subject of post traumatic stress disorder associated with military sexual trauma in female veterans.
• Programs and Needs for Homeless Veterans This study explores programs and services offered by different agencies in Houston, TX. The motivation is that veterans who return from missions abroad face numerous challenges.
• The Veterans’ Needs Assessment The purpose of the veterans’ needs assessment is to address the concerns of military families regarding the assimilation of their family members into civilian life.
• Veteran Employment: Problems Veterans Face after Returning Home Some veterans may find it difficult to adjust from a highly structured military environment to one where they must independently manage different challenges.
• Prevalence of Combat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans The paper argues combative nature of military personnel contributes to the Post-traumatic Stress disorder experienced by officers.
• Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory in Regard to Military Veterans With PTSD To sum up, if the experiment proves reliable and valid, the application for those who have PTSD may be improved or facilitated for everyday use.
• The Department of Veteran’s Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government agency that serves the needs of veterans and their families.
• Cognitive Behavior Theory for Military Veteran Cognitive behavior theory is based on the idea that an individual is able to alter their behavior by interfering with their thought patterns.
• Aggression and Substance Use Involvement Among Veterans: Treatment Strategies 180 veteran participants with a history of reported substance abuse and acts of aggressive behaviour towards partners and non-partners, were assigned to 3 groups and compared.
• The Opioid Crisis in Veterans: The Delphi Method The Delphi method was used to generate a consensus on the best treatment measures for patients with opioid dependence.
• The Main Methods of Conducting a Needs Assessment for Veterans The assigned article is a detailed analysis of the main methods to use in conducting a needs assessment for veterans.
• The US Veterans: The Problem of Tobacco Smoking Although the rate of tobacco use among American veterans has been declining, those returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are smoking at an alarming rate.
• Organizational Culture and Diversity: United States Army Veteran Rank For me, the most significant cultural identifiers are the United States Army Veteran rank, Texas as the home residence, and marital status.
• Reducing the Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Foot in the Veteran Population The research proposes to use a comprehensive education program to reduce the incidence of diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot in the Veteran population.
• Healthcare Marketing Analysis: Veterans Affairs Loma Linda Healthcare System – Diabetes Clinic The focal point of the paper is to evaluate and analyze the marketing strategy of Veterans Affairs (VA) Loma Linda Healthcare System – Diabetic Clinic.
• Effects of Combat on War Veterans In recent years, the long-lasting impacts of military war have become ruinous. In the U.S, cases of suicide in the Army have exceeded the pace of prevention in the general populace.
• Organizational Quality Improvement Plan: Veterans Affairs Hospitals The role of Managed Care for Veterans Affairs is great due to the improvements implemented to manage the resources in this area properly.
• Organizational Quality Improvement Plan for Veterans Affairs with Regard to Managed Care in the Community The Veteran Affairs (VA) health care organization deals with veterans that have been brought to the community hospitals.
• Homeless Veterans Problem Analysis The purpose of this paper is to describe the main causes of this situation, to consider the approaches of different scientists to the problem, and to offer ways to solve it.
• Social Service Barriers Among Homeless Veterans The goal is to gather information about the conditions under which homeless veterans have to live and define the main problems the chosen group of people faces regularly.
• Social Policy Analysis: Stopping the Opioid Crisis in Veteran Population The problem of the opioid epidemic in the USA has been at the center of an ongoing discussion for years: veterans are twice as likely to die of opioid overdose as average citizens.
• Discrimination and Harassment in Hiring a Veteran This paper will examine cases of discrimination and harassment in hiring a veteran, as well as the illegal dismissal of an employee to study the issue of labor relations.
• Family Support to a Veteran With Depression Even the strongest soldiers become vulnerable to multiple health risks and behavioral changes, and depression is one of the problems military families face.
• Mental Health Conditions Among Military Veterans The research will analyze whether the incidence of symptoms and their link to individuals’ experiences relate to their military service
• Psychotherapy Treatment for Combat Veterans Suffering From PTSD The symptoms of PTSD based on combat experience include flashbacks, nightmares, tries to suppress the memories, irritability, hyperarousal, sleep disorders, numbing.
• Veteran Pharmaceutical: Cause and Effect Due to the economic crunch being experienced all over America and the whole world at large, there has been a decline in profits for Veteran in the last few months.
• Preferential Treatment of Not and Disabled Veterans Right from the beginning of the 21st century, there have been certain growth in movements promoting disability rights including that of disabled veterans.
• Veterans Affairs Healthcare System The strengths of the VA healthcare system are focused on providing high-quality and low cost health care, giving an opportunity for patients to admire the benefits of the service.
• Veterans Affairs Healthcare System: Marketing Research and Segmentation The main aim of the paper is to provide an analysis of the market with the Potential patients of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Combat Veterans The aim of this essay is to review briefly yet, comprehensively the recent advances in assessment and treatment of PTSD.
• Soldier and Veteran Suicide Prevention Hearing People who work in the profession tend to encounter potentially severe stress throughout service, which can lead to mental issues.
• Transition Experiences of First-Generation Latino Veterans This research project will investigate the lived experiences of first-generation Latino veterans who decided to stay in the US after military service.
• Veterans’ Civilian Employment Experiences This paper offers a critique of the article based on the criteria established by O’Brien, Harris, Beckman, Reed, and Cook.
• Senator Rubio on Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act The paper presents a mock interview with Marco Rubio, the U.S. Senator for the state of Florida. The interview refers to the Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act.
• Opioid Crisis Effects on US Veterans The current research aims at seeking answers to several research questions, concerning the opioids crisis and its effect on veterans, to overcome problems.
• Veteran Health Administration Policy Analysis This policy analysis will attempt to identify alternatives to the existing veterans’ healthcare policy and evaluate them in terms of making healthcare more accessible.
• Latino Veterans’ Transition to Civilian Life in the US It is proposed to investigate the dual transitioning of first-generation Latino migrants who are also former US military members.
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military Veterans Both in the military and civilian life, people encounter traumatic occurrences that challenge their perception of the world or themselves.
• Veteran Legal Institute’s History and Challenges The biggest accomplishment of the Veteran Legal Institute is the creation of a systematic, organized, and self-sustaining network for providing services to veterans.
• United States Military Veteran Suicides and Causes Researchers have not agreed on the exact causes of suicide cases in the US military. Initially, it was assumed that deployment was a risk factor for this behavior.
• Student Veterans and Academic Benefits The project reviews the main issues faced by U.S. veterans and shows how the Post-9/11 GI Bill aims to address them by offering financial assistance to student veterans.
• Veterans Court Designing: Three Crucial Stages The work discusses the types of treatment you to mandate, addressing problems with compliance, and other support you needed when designing Veterans court.
• Challenges in Veteran Mental Health Care The population of veterans in the US experiences a variety of difficulties upon returning to non-military life.
• Suicide Among Veterans Issue The increase in suicide rates among veterans frightens and reveals the magnitude of mental challenges experienced by the group.
• Business Plan of Veteran Fitness Center This paper outlines a business proposal for a fitness center in Sharjah for military veterans who do not have health coverage for physical fitness.
• Co-Curricular Activities in Veteran Student Performance This paper discusses the effects of co-curriculum activities on the achievements of student veterans within the Armed Services Arts Partnership Program (ASAP) program.
• Exploring and Storming Phase for Veterans with PTSD The paper addresses the peculiarities of the storming stage as applied to the therapeutic group designed for male combat veterans with PTSD.
• Western Oahu Veterans Center: Budgeting Project Western Oahu Veterans Center is a local branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a government agency that aims to provide various types of aid to veterans of U.S. military service.
• Veteran Student Performance: Co-Curricular Activities In this memo, the main goal is to choose a non-profit program that can be applied to veteran student performance and propose a program evaluation regarding an appropriate program theory.
• Student Veterans on Campus: Issues and Benefits The present paper will review the problems faced by student veterans and describe the historical background of the Post-9/11 GI Bill that serves to solve some of these problems.
• Military Veterans’ Mental Health Needs The topic of the study concerns the mental health needs of veterans who suffer different types of disorders as the result of their military service.
• Veteran Student Performance and Activities This paper introduces an evaluation design plan to be applied to the Armed Services Arts Partnership program and the analysis of the effects of its co-curricular activities on student veterans.
• American Veteran Homelessness & Advocacy Practice A study by Lusk, Staudt, and Moya (2012), shows that subjecting these veterans to constant gun violence causes emotional stress to them
• War Veterans’ Mental Health as Social Issue This work discusses the current issue on the War Veterans returning home and not receiving proper mental health care due to a lack of professionals serving the Armed Forces.
• Psychotherapy Group of Combat Veterans in Transition The group members are combat veterans with PTSD, and their behavior can be mind-boggling due to the group’s views on mental health and health issues.
• Psychotherapeutic Intervention: Veterans with PTSD This group manual is written for a brief psychotherapeutic intervention developed for combat veterans with PTSD. The paper includes a description of the intervention, its major phases.
• Health Policy Action: American Veterans’ Health The US healthcare system is now undergoing certain changes so it can be a perfect time for considerable and timely improvements.
• Health Advocate: Veterans’ Health Problems The number of veterans in the United States is on the rise. These veterans and their families face a wide range of health problems.
• Policy Action for Veterans’ Health Care When it comes to providing high-quality and affordable care for the US veterans, it is crucial to consider all aspects of this multi-faceted issue.
• Veterans’ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: How a Game Can Help? This research paper will analyze how veterans suffering from PTSD stand to benefit from the game Human versus Zombies by using the skills they learned in war.
• Cutting Veterans Benefits: Does GI Joe Need Public Assistance
• Why Corporations Should Not Hire Military Veterans
• Veterans Administration Health Care in Pittsburgh
• Chicago Veterans Attitudes and Characteristics
• How Has the Health of Vietnam Veterans Been Affected by Their Service in Vietnam
• Homeless Veterans Throughout the City of Los Angeles
• Race and Older Age Mortality: Evidence From Union Army Veterans
• Improving Veterans Access for Mental Health Care Using
• The Mirror Therapy Treatment for the Amputee Veterans
• Medical Care and Benefits for Wounded Military Veterans
• The Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension
• Military Veterans and Neighborhood Racial Integration: Veterans Affairs Mortgage Lending
• How Dogs Can Help Veterans Overcome Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by Chris Collins
• Immigration Reform, and Better Care for Veterans
• Strategic Plan for Veterans at Veterans Affairs Facilities
• Veterans and America’s History and Future
• Removing Barriers for Mental Health Services for Veterans
• After the Glory: The Struggles of Black Civil War Veterans
• Veterans and Depression the Battle to Heal the Wounds of War
• Increasing the Educational Benefits of War Veterans
• Body Mass Index and Health Among Union Army Veterans: 1891-1905
• Establishing the Academic Performance of Veterans in the Us Colleges
• Individual Counseling Services for War Time Veterans
• Homeless American Veterans: The Impact of War on Our Veterans
• Are War Veterans Receiving the Benefits They Deserve
• Improving Veterans Access for Care
• Emerging Social Work Crisis for Veterans and Their Families Term Paper
• Why Colleges Should Help Veterans
• The Veterans Affairs Neuropathy Scale: A Reliable, Remote Polyneuropathy Exam
• Declining Wealth and Work Among Male Veterans in the Health and Retirement Study
• Specialty Courts for Veterans of the US Military
• The Lost Generation: Hardships of WWI Veterans
• Disabilities and Mental Illness of Veterans
• Alcohol Use Among Veterans and the Military
• America’s Military Veterans and Denying Aid
• Remember the Forgotten Military Veterans of World War II
• Injury Careers After Blast Exposure Among Combat Veterans Deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Firearm Use and Risk of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Among Veterans
• The Factors Affecting the Transition of Veterans From War to Civilian Life
• Government Funding for Veterans With Prosthetics Within
• Effective Treatment for Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• The Washington D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Detonating the Bomb: The Relationship of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Vietnam and Iraq Veterans
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans’ Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Problems
• Oxytocin Affects Spontaneous Neural Oscillations in Trauma-Exposed War Veterans
• Social Chaos and Confusion of Children of Vietnam War Veterans
• The Controversy and Impact of the Gulf War Syndrome on the Health of the United States Veterans
• Promoting Social and Community Support for Veterans: Engaging the Public in Veterans’ Issues
• The Importance of Military Preparedness in Maintaining National Security
• Improving Mental Health Services for Military Spouses and Family Members
• The Benefits of Service Dogs for Veterans with Disabilities or PTSD
• Addressing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Military Personnel
• Military Technology: Assessing the Ethical Implications of Advancements in Warfare
• Military Veterans and Employment: Promoting Transition and Job Opportunities
• Addressing Homelessness Among Veterans: Strategies for Prevention and Assistance
• The Role of Military Intervention in Humanitarian Crises
• Expanding Educational Opportunities and Scholarships for Veterans and Their Families
• Pros and Cons of Implementing Compulsory Military Service in the US
• Women in Combat Roles: Examining the Benefits and Challenges

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StudyCorgi. (2021, September 9). 148 Veterans Essay Topics & Military Essay Ideas. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/veterans-essay-topics/

"148 Veterans Essay Topics & Military Essay Ideas." StudyCorgi , 9 Sept. 2021, studycorgi.com/ideas/veterans-essay-topics/.

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1. StudyCorgi . "148 Veterans Essay Topics & Military Essay Ideas." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/veterans-essay-topics/.

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StudyCorgi . "148 Veterans Essay Topics & Military Essay Ideas." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/veterans-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "148 Veterans Essay Topics & Military Essay Ideas." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/veterans-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Veterans were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 9, 2024 .

Veterans’ Transition From Military to Civilian Life Research Paper

Introduction, eligibility for veteran benefits, veteran benefit programs, barriers to veteran programs and services, works cited.

Data from the United States Census Bureau indicates that there are over 19 million veterans in the country. This represents approximately 7.1 percent of the adult population. Research also shows that over 5 million veterans suffer from at least one disability while 1.2 million live in poverty. At the same time, more than 37,000 veterans experience homelessness on a single night (Frohlich). This shows that veterans encounter many challenges when transitioning from military life to civilian life. This is due to a lack of employment opportunities, social support, and housing, as well as inadequate finances and health problems. As a result, the difficulty in readjusting to civilian life places a considerable burden on veterans, their families, and communities. Nevertheless, several programs have been adopted to assist veterans in reintegrating into society.

A specific eligibility criterion has been established to determine the former service members entitled to veteran benefits. The eligibility is based on several factors, including the duration of service. Most veteran benefits require the former militants to have been in active military service for a minimum period. For example, to qualify for the G.I Bill benefits, one should have served for at least 36 months (Powers). However, an individual can qualify for ‘Veterans Administration’ (VA) medical care or VA disability compensation if they served for at least served a day in active duty.

When and where a militant served can affect their qualification for certain veterans’ benefits. For instance, to be qualified for the home loan program, former militants who fought in Vietnam should have been on active service for at least 90 days. On the contrary, individuals who fought in the Gulf War need to have been in service for about 24 months to be eligible for the same home loan. Likewise, a former militant’s qualification for veteran benefits depends on how they were discharged from active duty (Powers). Only individuals with an honorable discharge can access the benefits; alternatively, militants with a dishonorable discharge, bad conduct discharge, or dismissal from the military court-martial do not qualify for veteran benefits.

The VA has established several programs that provide medical, financial, and other forms of support to veterans to help them adapt to civilian life. Disability Compensation is among the major benefits awarded to veterans. This benefit only targets honorably discharged veterans who have a service-linked disability. Such veterans are entitled to a monthly compensation of between $133 to over $3400, which is tax-free (“Veteran Disability Compensation”). Nevertheless, the veterans are qualified for additional funds if they suffer from critical disabilities like loss of arms or legs or have other dependents like children or spouses. VA also reimburses transportation expenses to disabled veterans when they travel for medical appointments. These benefits enable veterans with disabilities to readjust to non-military life because they have adequate finances to support themselves and their families.

Another benefit that can help veterans readjust to civilian life is the free or low-cost medical care offered by VA hospitals and other medical facilities. VA offers hospital care and outpatient services to eligible veterans. Some of the healthcare programs that veterans are entitled to include the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), radiation exposure, blindness, brain injury, and HIV/AIDS, among other illnesses (Matthews 218). It is important to note that VA utilizes priority groups to decide the type of healthcare each veteran receives and how much they pay. Such services and programs may help veterans recover or manage health conditions that they suffered while on active duty and allow them to adapt to societal life and get new jobs to support their families.

Eligible veterans qualify for readjustment counseling offered by the VA. The counseling services are provided through community-based Vet Centers located in all states to make them accessible to the veterans. The counselors offer individual, group, or family readjustment therapy to aid veterans in transitioning into civilian life. Such therapies assist in treating PTSD, depression, and other service-related issues that adversely affect good functioning within family and other areas in everyday life (Gerber, 116). Additional psycho-social services may include medical referral, homeless veteran services, education, and employment. Therefore, counseling services are critical in assisting veterans to overcome mental disorders and establish good social ties with families and friends.

Veterans can also benefit from education programs provided under the G.I Bill. This bill assists eligible veterans in paying for graduate school, college, and other training programs. Some of its education programs include Post-9/11 G.I Bill, which offers education benefits to militants who served for about 90 days after September 10, 2001 (Johnston 288). The G.I Bill also offers educational programs to the families of militants killed in active service or the children of completely disabled veterans. These educational programs are critical in assisting veterans to acquire new skills and expertise to get employment opportunities and support themselves and their families.

The VA home loan is among the most valued veteran benefits. The home loan enables the eligible former militants to purchase, construct homes or pay for existing house mortgages with no down payment and at reasonable rates. Also, another advantage of this initiative is that the veterans are not required to cover the Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Studies indicate that from 1994 to date, the home loan program has helped over 25 million militants to buy homes (“VA Loans”). This has greatly helped to lessen the crises of homelessness among veterans. Therefore, the home loan is a fundamental benefit that enables veterans to purchase or construct their homes to provide housing to themselves and their families.

Veteran job training is among the best strategies to aid former service members in readjusting to civilian life. As a result, the Veteran Employment and Training Service (VETS) is a program that trains veterans for new jobs and helps them find employment. It also safeguards the rights of employed veterans to ensure they are not mistreated. VETS also supports the Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER) and the Disabled Veteran’s Outreach Program (DVOP). The LVER program strives to position veterans in government-paying jobs and training facilities. It also helps veterans to master essential skills such as resume writing (“Employment and Training Services”). Alternatively, the DVOP initiative specializes in training and finding jobs for veterans with serious service-linked disabilities. This is because such people may be unable to get jobs due to their disabilities. Apart from job preparation, VA also offers loans to small veteran enterprises and aids them in acquiring contracts. This promotes the success of veteran-owned businesses, which helps them adapt to civilian life. Hence, preparing veterans for new jobs is critical in reintegrating them into non-military life. Getting a job helps the former service members to become financially stable, enabling them to pay for their basic needs.

Despite the plethora of programs available to veterans, only a few former service members can obtain the VA benefits. Research indicates that the United States has approximately 40,000 programs that assist veterans in readjusting to non-military life (Morgan et al. 2). However, several barriers may hinder the veterans from accessing the program’s benefits. The study shows that many veterans do not understand or are unaware of the benefits they are entitled to. Additionally, some veterans cannot identify which services or programs adequately satisfy their needs, while others are unfamiliar with the centers that offer veteran support. Similarly, some veterans experience difficulties navigating the VA system to access various benefits. This has been linked to lengthy paperwork and prolonged waiting times for appointments (Morgan et al. 2). Such barriers lessen the likelihood of veterans to seek benefits that can assist them in living normal civilian lives.

A significant number of veterans experience difficulties in readjusting to non-military life. This mainly affects former service members who suffered from psychological trauma or a service-connected injury. The challenges that veterans face while transitioning to civilian life are in relation to lack of jobs, social support, finances, and proper housing. In addition, many veterans also experience health-related complications such as PTSD and depression, among others. However, with the federal government’s help, the VA has developed many programs and services committed to aid veterans to reintegrate into society and live comfortable lives. These programs include home loans, counseling services, job training, education, and free or low-cost medical care. The programs have been fundamental in readjusting veterans to normal lives because they provide financial assistance, jobs, and housing, allowing the veterans to support themselves and their families. Nevertheless, VA should create more public awareness on veteran programs to assist former militants in understanding how and where they can access the benefits.

“Employment and Training Services.” Military.Com , Web.

“VA Loans.” Military.Com , Web.

“Veteran Disability Compensation.” Military.Com , Web.

Frohlich, Thomas. “About 18 Million Military Veterans Live in The US. Which States Have the Most Vets?” Usatoday , Web.

Gerber, Megan R. Trauma-Informed Healthcare Approaches: A Guide for Primary Care . Springer, 2019.

Johnston, Papple, A. Military Transition for Dummies . For Dummies, 2021.

Matthews, Joseph. Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement and Medical Benefits . Nolo, 2021.

Morgan, N., et al. “Reducing Barriers to Post-9/11 Veterans’ Use of Programs and Services As They Transition to Civilian Life.” BMC Health Services Research , vol. 20, no. 525, 2020, pp. 1-14. BioMed Central , Web.

Powers, Rod. “How to Qualify for Veterans Benefits.” Dummies , Web.

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The United states national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, states: "Land of the free, home of the brave." This patriotic song adopted by the United States as our national anthem to express our nation's identity is no longer justified in relations with females being required to be drafted into the military. The word required emphasizes that this is not the "land of the free" because the United States is making it a requirement for citizens to be forced into the military out of their own free will. Furthermore, the anthem states "home of the brave", but people are not being brave when they are being forced. Bravery means having courage and being ready to face anything that comes your way, but if the military is making it a requirement to those

The Shameful Way America

In the article entitled “The Shameful Way America Treats Its Veterans” written by Tessa Stuart, the author gives us insight as to what it is like for homeless veterans living in today's world and why that needs to be changed. Stuart also goes into detail about the plenty of veterans that are left just waiting long before they can actually receive the right amount of care.

Homeless Veterans Research Paper

Veterans are the men and women that have spent a part of their lives sacrificing and serving our country in the various branches of the military. These are people that should be honored because their sacrifice ensures the very freedoms that we get to enjoy here in the United States. Unfortunately, veterans are confronted with a serious problem when they leave the military that hurts their well being and pursuit of happiness. Veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than American citizens and on any given night there are around 75,000 veterans sleeping on the streets (Garofalo, 2011). The social problem is that homeless veterans are at a higher risk for suicide than those who are not homeless. To understand this social problem, one must

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Veterans Day in America should be a day that is more celebrated. Many people don’t give a second thought to those who have literally put their lives on the line to keep this country free. I feel like in order to honor those who have served and those who were lost in battle we need to keep our country educated. War is not happy, it’s not pretty; it’s painful and gruesome and we should educated our children and current generations about the risks our troops have taken for us and for the freedom of others.

Argumentative Essay: Saving America's Veterans

One day dedicated annually to those who have undergone pains worse than death for their country, and have served honorably and faithfully, seems paltry recompense. Every stalwart soldier that has seen war, is a hero matching the likes of Odysseus, Theseus, and Achilles. A great hero deserves great reward, therefore the absolute minimum one should give to a veteran is an acknowledgment of the great debt owed to them. Without our veterans, Americans would have long been subjugated to the whimsy of merciless, bloodthirsty foreign leaders, therefore America's veterans should be baptized in gratitude. There are no monsters in the world, only people, and our veterans were once the only thing protecting humanity from

Veterans Of The United States

Veterans are heroes in the eyes of many citizens of the United States. There are over 20 million veterans who have risked their lives at young ages to help give this nation a fear free life. They serve and protect the land for their children, spouses, parents, family, and neighbors. Yet they are not treated with the love and respect they truly deserve. Those who have served took a devastating loss when the, “House Appropriations Subcommittee marked up the 2016 Veterans Affairs funding bill, and slashed more than $1.4 billion from the president 's requested budget for America’s Veterans” ( ask mrs. Pyle 8). Today, the nation’s hero are treated worse than prisoners who have committed murder or rape. While these criminals have a safe and warm place to stay, there are many homeless veterans who are starving and out in the cold. There are veteran centers around the United States, but they are over capacity, and some do not give the care the veterans desperately need. The men and woman are only allowed to see the doctors who work for the V.A., or the appointment and the treatment will not be accepted by the insurance. Instead of spending money on new faculties, the government feels that when another country is in trouble, they deserve the money more than their own people. Veterans of the United States are being put on the back burner while the government gives more attention to the murderers and child molesters in prison, other countries that have people in need just like the

Argumentative Essay On Homeless Veterans

Therefore, for this country to be unable or unwilling to adequately care for homeless veterans, who fought these wars, is not only a shame and a travesty of justice, it is also the ultimate betrayal of the veterans by our government.” (“Homelessness Among

Annotated Source: Agency Negligence

This academic journal states the physiological effects on soldiers who are in the Veteran Affairs Department. This sources states that it is not the negligence of veteran care that causes veterans to commit suicide; however, it is their mental mindset that is driving them to do so. The source provides facts on how the VA works and treats the veterans in the facility. For example, the source provides

Argumentative Essay On Veterans

Ever curious about how PTSD is obtained and what the veterans that have it have to go through on their daily lives. Well here are some Statistics and symptoms of PTSD and as to how it has been obtained and even to see if the possibility of actually having PTSD in not informed about it previously. This'll show insight into the lives of veterans and the sufferings of having PTSD and it is a possible way to get rid of it over time and effort. Your topic sentences should match your Webspiration Document Roman Numerals. Some of the main questions arise as to how people would obtain PTSD.

Why Veterans Are Important Essay

We don’t hear bomb explosions outside our homes: we don't walk out to see people carrying around massive weapons and we don't experience suffering and pain on an everyday basis like other countries do. We are a safe well cared for nation because of our veterans. If our veterans are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect us, it should be an important task in our lives to make sure that our nations veterans are well cared for. Many of our nations veterans struggle financially and emotionally and that is not how they should live. There are veterans who don’t have homes and are homeless.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Vietnam

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as “a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. (1)” This issue is most commonly associated with war veterans who have given their life to the service of the country and have suffered because of it. These men and women suffer emotional, physical, mental, and neurological trauma, which is “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury(2) ” In fact, the suicide rate of soldiers has increased since last generation, indicating that this is a very serious issue that must be understood from all perspectives. Psychologists, and those who study and help PTSD victims, including loved one of victims, must understand the neurological and spiritual elements

Argumentative Essay On College Student Veterans

On April 18, 1942, Colonel Jimmy Doolittle led a bombing raid on Tokyo, Japan, which officially introduced America into the second world war. After this famous raid, Jimmy Doolittle was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service to the US Army Air Forces, and years later was promoted to a four-star General by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. It was moments like this that motivated Doolittle to devote his entire life to United States Air Force. Though there are hundreds like Doolittle, men and women who give their entire lives to military service, many do not. Thousands of brave men and women serve for just a few years, but they still undergo just as much as the four-star generals.

Taking Care Of Veterans Essay

This will include more accurate and personal diagnoses, steps on how these diagnoses can be treated, and what the United States government can do for these brave men and women and their families while taking care of them. When Veterans Affairs receive more funding, they will be able to produce better outreach. This outreach could include simply informative brochures in their mailbox that explain what post-traumatic stress disorder is, how this disorder could be treated, and detailed steps on how make a disability claim. Knowing the claims process and knowing what all a veteran can claim is very important. This can help to ease a veterans mind by knowing that the government will pay for whatever services the wounded warrior may need including hospital stay. If more veterans knew they would not have to pay for the services they will receive more veterans may be more inclined to undergo the programs. Veterans can also reap the full benefits of the V.A. if they clinics where available in our more rural areas. Some veterans come back home to small towns where they may not be able to go

Veterans Deserve a Second Chance Back Home in the USA

• 2 Works Cited

America is the land of opportunity and the land of second chances. People come to America to live a better life, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. When Veterans come back home, all they want is a second chance at life again. They want to come back and be able to start from where they left off. But the government has done very little to help these veterans. The government believes they have done enough with the programs they have created, but it hasn’t had much of a change. The purpose of this essay is to discuss my opinion and what I know about this issue, to benefit The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who are my intended audience. If the government were to put a lot of effort, like they do for pointless issues, there wouldn’t

Persuasive Essay On Voluntary Service

world outside school, sports, and their home lives, making it a chance to learn some practical skills as well. If there is a valid criticism, Brown observes, it is that many children do not have their parent’s support to find rewarding and worthwhile volunteer positions. Some kids, no doubt, consider it just another high school hassle, like Shakespeare or physics. Perhaps the volunteer industry itself should put more effort into making choices more intuitive and easier to attain for students if there is a concern about wooing future volunteers.

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Essays on Veterans

It is hard to admit it, but nowadays younger generation tends to forget about what veterans had to endure and their service to their respective nations, so being tasked with writing a veterans essay is a good way to make sure that veterans’ legacy is remembered. When we say veterans, we usually refer to war veterans – people who went through the war and participated in combat. Writing essays on veterans is a common assignment, which in no way undermines its significance. It is important to show our respect and express gratitude to people who fought for their country and fulfilled their duty to their land. When writing veterans essays, it's important to learn about a public attitude towards veterans in your country and check out governmental programs that help veterans – some samples of essays below delve into these topics. Take a look at veterans essay samples we provided and see if any of the ideas are relevant to your essay.

I have visited the Hampton VA Medical Center, which offers healthcare services to the veterans and their families. The medical center is located among the largest military retiree communities in the US. It offers a comprehensive primary and specialty care in medicine, surgery, and psychiatry to the people in southeastern...

Words: 1429

The combat and war experiences have a way of impacting people’s lives (Abbassi and Aslinia 45). There are those who are affected directly and others indirectly by the war. For the soldiers who participate actively in the combat face numerous challenges as loss of loved ones, colleagues, torture, and dreadful...

Words: 2944

Service Dogs and Their Benefits to Disabled Veterans Service dogs are trained on performing tasks that are aimed to benefit a person who has had a psychological and physical disability. They are mainly used for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders therapy and have been proven to be of great benefit to the veterans....

Words: 1101

Service dogs are trained on performing tasks to for the benefit of a person who has a psychological, and physical disability. They are mainly used for PTSD therapy and have been proven to be of great benefit to the veterans. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are reactions that are brought by...

Words: 1022

As a Marine Corps veteran with a long career, one of my responsibilities at work involves becoming a psychologist, which has always intrigued me. I frequently come across individuals who need my assistance, and those in particular require psychological support. I've been making an effort to assist in the best...

The Veterans Health Administration's failure and caregiving problem The Veterans Health Administration's failure and caregiving problem may not be managed by raising the quantity of resources or by hiring more nurses and doctors. (Powell-Young, Baker & Hogan, 2006). Even though more resources might seem essential and crucial, they cannot provide...

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Clinical Manager Position (Veteran Affairs Department) Director of aid and veterans' affairs Job purpose: Monitor and supervise all tasks in the veterans affairs office, ensuring full compliance with state standards and legislation. Duties: It should be emphasized that the jobs listed here are the very minimum; extra responsibilities may be assigned. Creating and implementing...

Words: 1069

According to the University of Maryland University College's mission statement, its principal objective is to help veterans, working individuals, and their families who reside throughout the United States of America as well as throughout the rest of the world [1]. The university must create a distinctive and highly accessible computer...

Words: 4704

The federal state department of veteran affairs is a cabinet-level federal entity that provides comprehensive healthcare services to all qualifying military veterans at veteran medical centers and outpatient clinics. The clinics are spread across the country to help in the delivery of health care to veterans. It also gives special...

Words: 4231

The Things They Carried The book was written to remind readers of the preparedness of American soldiers during the Vietnam War. In this book, O’Brien discusses the types of items that soldiers led by First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried during the conflict. It describes the soldiers’ experiences on their way to...

Words: 2530

The management of the Veteran Affairs hospital failed to provide an enabling environment for the doctors and nurses to carry out their everyday responsibilities. It took the intervention of doctors who took matters into their own hands to save patients who had been admitted to the hospital. A successful firm must...

Words: 2416

The Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act has made significant progress in ensuring that people with a variety of disabilities, such as veterans, expectant moms, the blind, and even older workers, are accommodated. This bill's goal is to prevent these people from suffering unnecessary hardship while working (Oppix...

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The changing face of America’s veteran population

Today, there are more than 18 million living veterans in the United States, representing about 6% of the country’s adult population. Here are key facts about Americans who have served in the military and how this population is changing, based on data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Census Bureau and Pew Research Center surveys.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand the makeup of the U.S. veteran population and how it will change in coming decades.

Information for this analysis comes from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Census Bureau and previously published Pew Research Center data, including a survey conducted March 13-19, 2023. More information on that survey’s methodology , can be found in the originally published analysis.

Racial and ethnic categories are taken from VA population projections. All racial groups include Hispanic adults unless specified. Hispanics are of any race.

Veterans who served in the last 30 years make up the largest number of living veterans,  according to population model estimates from the VA . Veterans from the Gulf War era, which spans from August 1990 through the present, surpassed Vietnam-era veterans in 2016. (Veterans who served in multiple eras are counted only in the earliest one.)

Population estimates for 2023 show:

• 7.8 million living U.S. veterans, or 43%, served in the Gulf War era.
• 5.6 million living veterans (30%) served during the Vietnam War era from 1950 to 1973.
• Around 767,000 veterans who served during the Korean conflict in the 1940s and 1950s are alive today. They make up 4% of all living veterans.
• Fewer than 120,000 World War II veterans are alive today, making up less than 1% of all living veterans.

As of 2023, roughly three-quarters (78%) of veterans served during wartime, and 22% served during peacetime. (Veterans with both types of service are only counted in wartime.)

The share of the U.S. population with military experience has declined, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau . In 1980, about 18% of U.S. adults were veterans, but that share fell to 6% in 2022.

This happened alongside a decrease in active-duty personnel after the military draft ended in 1973. The number of active-duty service members dropped from 3.5 million in 1968, during the military draft era, to about 1.3 million in today’s all-volunteer force. Active-duty service members now comprise less than 1% of all U.S. adults.

The VA projects that the number of living veterans will continue to decline over the next 25 years.  The department estimates that the number of veterans will drop from today’s 18.3 million to 12.1 million in 2048 – a decrease of about 34%. By then, Gulf War-era veterans are projected to make up the majority of living veterans.

As the number of veterans declines over the next 25 years, their demographics will shift, VA population models show. Women, Hispanic and Black adults, and adults under 50 will all make up larger shares of the total veteran population.

• Gender: The share of women veterans will increase from 11% this year to 18% in 2048. The overall number of women veterans is also expected to increase, from around 2 million to about 2.2 million. The number of male veterans, on the other hand, is projected to drop from about 16.2 million in 2023 to just under 10 million in 2048.
• Race and ethnicity: The share of non-Hispanic White veterans is projected to drop from 74% to 63%. The share of Hispanic veterans is expected to roughly double from 9% to 15%, while the share who are Black is expected to increase from 13% to 15%. This trend is in line with projections for the U.S. population overall .  
• Age: Today, 28% of veterans are younger than 50, compared with a projected 34% in 2048, even as the share of older Americans overall is expected to grow .

Fewer members of Congress have military experience than in the past, according to a Center analysis of the 118th Congress conducted after the 2022 congressional elections. In the current Congress, 18% of representatives and 17% of senators are veterans, down drastically from just a few decades ago.

The share of senators who are veterans reached a post-Korean War peak of 81% in 1975, while the share among House members peaked in 1967 at 75%.

In recent elections, both Democrats and Republicans have made concerted efforts to recruit veterans for congressional races . In the current Congress, 18 freshman lawmakers are veterans.

Most Americans view the Department of Veterans Affairs favorably , according to a spring 2023 Center survey that asked Americans about 16 federal agencies. A slim majority of U.S. adults (56%) say they have a favorable opinion of the VA, 28% have an unfavorable view and 16% aren’t sure.

As with many of the agencies and departments asked about in the survey, there were partisan differences in opinions of the VA. While similar shares of partisans expressed approval of the VA, a larger share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed dissatisfaction than Democrats and Democratic leaners (31% vs. 25%).

This is an update of a post originally published on April 5, 2021.

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A Look Back at How Fear and False Beliefs Bolstered U.S. Public Support for War in Iraq

New congress will have a few more veterans, but their share of lawmakers is still near a record low, around one-in-five candidates for congress or governor this year are veterans, americans’ trust in scientists, other groups declines, how the political typology groups compare, most popular.

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

66 Military Speech Topics [Persuasive, Informative]

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

I try to cover for you as much persuasive and informative themes as possible related to defense and armed forces, militias, the marine corps and coast guard. This is one of my special speech topic idea pages.

Look on the left for other general and focused examples for an educational spoken essay presentation at school. Twenty interesting and current military speech topics for a good informative on objects, subjects, events, structures and entities can be about:

• Air missile defense strategies in East Europe.
• Small arms and light weapons sales in malls.
• Structure of our armed forces; at sea, on land, in the air.
• Famous battles and wars that form our nation.
• Chain of command in special operations.
• Bases, camps and forts as the defense line.
• Intelligence services: do they cooperate?
• Nuclear weapons stock by country or region.
• Bunker busters; how do they work.
• Patriot missile defense as an example of military engineering.
• Medal of Honor categories and heroes.
• Purple Heart conditions and recipients.
• West Point Academy education curriculum.
• Naval Coast Guard operations on the seas.
• Chief of Staff position and power.
• Megastructures engineered for the army.
• Army marching bands and orchestras and their history.
• Ways to salute in different countries.
• Pentagon building architeture of concentric pentagonal rings and radial corridors.
• Life in a submarine for ten months.
• African Union should increase the number of troops deployed in the Sudanese Darfur province.
• Military actions against regimes with hostile policies is inevitable.
• The effect of war on the economy.
• Closer diplomatic ties with North Korea will mean more control.
• Decommissioning is the only way to negotiate with war lords in Sudan.
• Diplomatic immunity issues in dictatorial systems are based on military power.
• Efforts to bring Nazi war crime suspects to trial will never be successful.
• Every citizen should commit to 2,000 hours of voluntary national service in their lifetime.
• Have more women in military staff functions.
• Immigration control is important to preserve security and culture.
• It’s not cowardly to refuse to fight in a war.
• Kids are most likely to become child soldiers if they are poor.
• Military service should be based on conduct, not sexual orientation.
• Mothers must be persuaded not to fight in militairy combat front lines.
• Negotiating with terrorists is justifiable.
• Recruiting marines is a though duty
• Restrictions on weapons trade ought to be more severe.
• Sometimes force and violence are needed to make peace.
• Support initiatives to help child soldiers.
• The military corps – professionals and / or voluntareers.
• The next great world war will be in western Europe again.
• The US-Mexican border fence to tighten homeland security does not work.
• The use of torture is never appropriate.
• There should be a Code of Conduct in the arms trade.
• Unilateral military action is wrong without the consent of the United Nations.
• We must never stop honouring war veterans.

Here are easy to research ideas for writing a speech on women in the military speech topics:

• Women in front-combat lines: ban or not?
• Role of women in World War II; female power behind the screens.
• Famous female intelligence spies, there are more than you think.
• Sexual harassment policies in the military.
• Women on high positions in the army.
• Seagoing positions and responsibilities on combat ships.
• History of the position of women in military service.
• All jobs in the air force should be opened for females.
• Effects on morale, training, and unit workload.
• Protection in ground combat.

These are examples of military speech topics based on interesting persuasive government policy writing topics. Describe pros/cons or take a side in the public debate about these speech ideas on controversial:

• Are smart bombs really that smart?
• Biological and chemical weapons.
• Nuclear proliferation treaties do they bring a peaceful balance?
• Arms trade codes of conduct by the large co-operating governments.
• Regional conflicts. Cover not all of course, but I think you could pick out one or two and compare the similarities and upper-regional consequences in the long term.
• Space security – a myth or already taken in position in secret agreements?
• Use of dirty bombs and the international protests against it.
• GI Bill on caring for veterans.
• Veteran affairs.
• Military budget cuts and spending balance.

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Persuasive Essay On Homeless Veterans

Veterans and our soldiers are coming home from war or getting out of the military and when they get home they can’t afford rent or they have a mental disease from war. Homeless veterans tend to experience homelessness longer than non-veteran homeless. This should not be happening to our soldiers. This is very undesirable for our troops to come home and becoming homeless. They fight for our freedom and our rights and we repay them by becoming homeless. Us Americans should be helping our troops when they come home. We do not treat our veterans right. They fight for our country, but when they come home they are not treated right. The physical, mental and emotional fatigue that comes with serving in combat is immense and many soldiers see their …show more content…

By getting the community and state involved it can help recognize all the homeless veterans in their community and help them get on track. To ensure that veterans experiencing homelessness can move into permanent housing (“10 Strategies”). They are saying that they will accept homeless veterans applicants regardless of their financial problems and poor credit. Some communities have utilized the Employment Navigator model, where a case management team helps families experiencing homelessness through homelessness assistance and housing, workforce systems, and income supports (“10 Strategies”). Many people could care less of homeless veterans even though those veterans give those people freedom and rights. Those people need to help support our homeless veterans. The government is already helping homeless veterans get off the streets and helping them start a new life. Many kids have parents that have served in the military including my parents. I couldn’t imagine what would happen to us. Just trying to make a living every day so we could survive. Homeless veterans fight for our country and they deserve our honor and respect. Us Americans should help our veterans get off the

Homeless Veterans Research Paper

Apart from those who are already homeless, around 1.4 million more veterans are at risk of homelessness because of lacking support networks, poverty and miserable living conditions in substandard or overcrowded housing. The situation is compounded by the difficulty to transfer some of the military training and occupations to civilian workforce (NCHV, 2015). This places some of the veterans at a disadvantage in the search of employment in the competitive job

The Pros And Cons Of Homeless Veterans

Many people around the world are homeless and majority of them are homeless veterans that served in wars like the vietnam war. The age range for veterans are usually in their 50 and 60’s and the numbers are increasing rapidly. In 2016 january ,communities in america identified 39,471 homeless veterans during the point in time. Veterans homelessness should be because and should be honored because of what they do for our country and they are heroes.

Persuasive Essay On Why Veterans Are Important

I myself have to think sometimes about what other people might be going through, even though we have freedom over here, there are many wars happening and many people losing their lives. To me, a veteran is a hero in disguise that live among ordinary people and live ordinary lives. Veterans are people who make sure that when we die, we will die in peace on the very soil where they have walked. They dedicate themselves to defend a nation

Argumentative Essay: Helping Veterans

Is it the stresses of war and inadequate job training? In addition, could it be untreated PTSD that keeps veterans from being productive once back in civilian life, thus causing the risk of homelessness? PTSD is one of the leading problems leading to homelessness among our veterans. As a veteran, myself, I understand the day to day struggles to come to grips with some things that were experienced as a soldier. For example, seeing fellow soldiers shot or killed, or the people you’re there to help turn on you, it’s a living nightmare.

Why Are Veterans Important To Me

I have a few people in my family that are veterans. Their service means alot to me. I admire them for their for their bravery and loyalty to their country. They inspire me in many ways such as to be brave even if the situation requires only a small act of bravery, and to speak out against something I know is wrong. To me veterans need to be honored every day for their service.

Argumentative Essay On Homeless Veterans

“Often the, housing was kind of earned”. Quigley, Aidan “what 's Behind the decline in homeless among us veterans.” These veterans are working hard to get their housing while these illegal immigrants are just coming coming here and getting all the welfare and help they need. But no one wants to help the veterans why? These veterans are what made this country free and why we get the the right of free speech and being able to own a gun etc.

Essay On Veterans Benefits

Veteran Benefits The issue of veteran benefits in the United States is not taken as seriously as it should be in our country, even though it is a growing problem that needs to be addressed. The lack of available funding for veterans is especially obvious when compared to that available for lower income citizens, or even illegal immigrants. Also, what does exist appears to fall short in taking care of veteran’s needs. Considering that these veterans are people who have risked their lives fighting for this country, the fact that they are not receiving immediate benefits or even what they have earned is unfair.

Argumentative Essay On Veterans

Veterans are some of the bravest men and women that you will ever know. They fought for our country in our most desperate hours and risked their lives so we could have the chance to live ours. It is such a shame that they are ignored and even homeless in today 's society. I had wondered how we could get veterans of the street and back into the job world. After research I found that there are programs and methods put in place specifically to help these struggling veterans.

Veterans Benefits

Veteran’s Benefits Veteran’s pay a heavy price for our freedom, but do we in turn repay them back? Once veteran’s return home they receive several benefits, such as education, disability compensation, and low-cost medical care. Each are specific due to how they benefit each veteran, but not all are capable of fully providing the veteran. Veterans receive benefits based on discharge from active military service other than dishonorable conditions. Active service must be serving full time as a member under several branches, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, or as a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service, Environmental Services Administration or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Arguments Against Homeless Veterans

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development there can be 39,371 veterans homeless on any given night. I ask myself why these men and women have given it all for their country and for us and now this is how we treat them? Well the opposing side would probably gone on the say it is their fault that they are homeless and it is their fault that they made the mistakes to be in that the position, this true, but where is the VA to help them, where is our government to help them? They are nowhere to be found and really the only way our homeless Veterans who sacrificed their lives for us get any help is from charities.

Homelessness Research Paper

Veterans with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) have a high risk of becoming homeless. Homelessness is cause by drug and alcohol dependencies, the economy and veterans who suffers from PTSD or other forms of mental illness. When one parent or both parents lose their jobs, it is a domino effect. About 1.4 million students were

Essay On Homeless Veterans

Secondly, some veterans will come back from war and if they were shot or experienced heavy damage to the head, they can have severe brain injuries and when they’re homeless and they don’t have much help, that can be horrible for the homeless veterans. Lastly, while veterans are fighting in wars, if they get shot or a grenade goes

Argumentative Essay On Helping Veterans

The US has grappled with many questions about society’s obligations as to whether or not to offer services and benefits to the men and women in the armed forces. Supporters argue that helping veterans will help the society as whole and opponents argue that we shouldn’t be increasing our federal government spending in repaying veterans. Although I do see where people can argue that we are spending too much money on helping veterans after war, I believe that the government owes them for what they have done for the country, despite the cost. The government owes certain benefits to veterans because the men and women in the armed forces deserve to be welcomed home with a generous system of services for what they have done for the country. Helping veterans goes way back all the way to the 1600s.

Persuasive Essay On Post-War Veterans

In the United States, serving in the military is seen as a model of true patriotism, and rightfully so. Service members train for 10 weeks in their transition from civilian to a soldier. They train to be able to endure all the hardships that may come their way. Service members have to be in the best physical shape to serve and because of all that they do, they are thought of as brave and selfless people. Service members make extreme sacrifices to defend our country and act selflessly by doing so; it is fitting that they are seen as heroes by many Americans.

Essay On Homelessness In America

With the increased use of housing-based assistance programs being created, there is a positive outlook for homeless looking for assistance getting back on their feet by acquiring affordable housing. The ability to apply and gain benefits through state and federal programs is helping to provide food and some financial assistance to the homeless population as well as a community outreach programs being deployed in cities all over the country. New opportunities for employment and training are available for those who are homeless and looking to get back into the workforce and get off the street. The road ahead for the homeless population is, of course, paved with struggles and detours, but with the continued efforts of our country, states and communities we can work together to aid in the reduction of homelessness with the continued efforts in creating and maintaining affordable housing programs, assistance programs, and workforce development

More about Persuasive Essay On Homeless Veterans

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Yoga therapy for military personnel and veterans: Qualitative perspectives of yoga students and instructors

Samantha hurst.

a University of California San Diego, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, La Jolla, CA, United States

Meghan Maiya

b UCSD - Health Services Research Center, La Jolla, CA, United States

Danielle Casteel

Andrew j. sarkin, salvatore libretto.

c Samueli Institute, Alexandria, VA, United States

A. Rani Elwy

d Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston, MA, United States

e Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States

Crystal L. Park

f University of Connecticut, Department of Psychological Sciences, Storrs, CT, United States

Erik J. Groessl

g VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States

Millions of military personnel and veterans live with chronic mental and physical health conditions that often do not respond well to pharmacological treatments. Serious side effects and lack of treatment response have led to widespread efforts to study and promote non-pharmacological and behavioral health treatments for many chronic health conditions. Yoga is an increasingly popular mind-body intervention that has growing research support for its efficacy and safety. Our objective was to explore the attitudes, perspectives, and preferences of military personnel and veterans toward yoga as a therapeutic modality, thus providing needed information for designing and promoting yoga interventions for this population.

Participants included 24 individuals with yoga experience and current or past military service and 12 instructors who have taught yoga for military personnel and/or veterans. A semi-structured set of questions guided interviews with each participant.

Five themes emerged from the interviews: (1) mental health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (2) physical health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (3) important yoga elements and conditions that support effective practice; (4) facilitators for engaging military in yoga practice; and (5) challenges and barriers to yoga practice for military.

Conclusions:

The study highlights consistent reports of mental and physical benefits of yoga practice, ongoing stigma resulting in the need for combatting and demystifying yoga and other complementary and integrative health (CIH) practices, the importance of designing interventions to address the unique mental health issues and perspectives of this population, and the importance of efforts by military leadership to bring CIH to military personnel and veterans. Rigorous research addressing these findings, along with further research on the efficacy and effectiveness of yoga interventions for treating various conditions are needed.

1. Introduction

In recent U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, approximately 2 million individuals have been deployed. 1 As a result, there are notable recent increases in the numbers of military personnel and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and pain conditions, creating large increases in needs for specialized services. 2 These increases are in addition to even larger cohorts of veterans from previous conflicts, many of which are living with chronic pain and mental health issues after service. 3 High rates of co-morbidity exist among pain and psychiatric conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), substance use disorder, and depression, 4 and such comorbid conditions are associated with poorer response to treatment and somatic amplification of symptoms. 5 Medication has frequently been the primary treatment approach for chronic pain. In turn, chronic pain patients with comorbid mental health disorders are more likely to initiate and continue opioid therapy, to misuse medication, and to benefit less from analgesics. 6 Guidelines now advise caution with opioid medication use and more proactively recommend non-pharmacological approaches. 7 – 9

Due to the substantial and growing problem of mental health issues, chronic pain, and other chronic conditions in military personnel and veterans, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are increasingly incorporating complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches into their patient-centered plans of care, a development that promises to more comprehensively address these growing problems. 10 – 12 While this expansion provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the usefulness of integrative health at a healthcare system level, there is variability in the evidence supporting CIH services for different health conditions. Much more research is needed to ensure that integrative modalities are included in ways that maximize their effectiveness.

Yoga is an example of an integrative approach that may be ideally suited for co-occurring conditions including chronic pain and mental health symptoms. Yoga is multidimensional and combines physical, mental, and, often, spiritual aspects of treatment. The benefits of yoga have been demonstrated among non-veteran 13 , 14 and veteran populations 15 , 16 with chronic low back pain, and promising results have been found for other conditions experienced by military personnel and veterans, including combat stress 17 and PTSD. 18 , 19 Other recent studies of yoga for PTSD remain quite small, 20 , 21 but many researchers await the results of a full-scale VA-funded randomized controlled trial, which are expected in 2018. 22 However, further study of yoga as a treatment option for veterans and military personnel with mental health and chronic pain disorders is needed.

Yoga interventions vary quite widely in the components that are emphasized and the setting in which they are conducted. 23 , 24 Thus, it is important to determine not only what types of yoga are best for specific health conditions, but also what barriers and facilitators may exist for greater uptake of yoga and other CIH modalities by specific populations, namely among military personnel and veterans. One recent study identified such barriers for non-pharmacological treatments more broadly, finding that patients were concerned about cost, transportation, and motivation to be active, while healthcare providers noted existing opioid use and patient skepticism as probable barriers. 25 Our objective in this qualitative study was to explore the attitudes and perspectives of military veterans and current military personnel toward yoga as a CIH therapeutic modality, in order to better plan for and support the provision of yoga to military populations.

2.1. Recruitment

Active duty military, reservists, and veterans who regularly practiced yoga were recruited for participation in a 45–50 min interview with a researcher to discuss their experiences with yoga. The study protocol was approved by the University of California San Diego Human Subjects Protection Program. Recruitment via flyers and word-of-mouth was conducted primarily through the Naval Medical Center San Diego and community partners that provided yoga classes specifically to military personnel and/or veterans. Potential participants called study staff and were screened by phone to ensure they met study inclusion criteria before they were invited to participate in the study. Volunteers received a $50 gift card for their participation. Inclusion criteria were: 1) 18 years of age or older; 2) were currently or previously enlisted in a branch of the United States Armed Forces (or taught yoga specifically to groups of active duty military or veterans); and 3) have taken (or taught) 5 or more yoga classes in the last 2 months. Those who met the inclusion criteria were scheduled for the qualitative interview at a university research office in a confidential setting. Research staff provided information about the study and the goals of the interview. After participants provided consent for the interview, the research staff person exited and the qualitative interview expert entered and conducted the interview in private. Measures were taken to ensure the comfort of the participants that might be trauma sensitive, such as having the choice of which chair to sit in (facing the door or facing the window) and whether they preferred to have the door open or shut during the interview.

2.2. Qualitative interviews

Qualitative interviews were carried out between June and September 2015. All procedures for data collection and analysis were reviewed and approved by a university Institutional Review Board. Informed consent was secured from every participant prior to the interview process. A total of 36 interviews were completed, which included two subsamples: a) yoga students (N = 24), including active duty, veterans and reserve participants; and b) yoga instructors (N = 12) who taught yoga for active duty or veterans. Interview guides were designed in a semi-structured open-ended format 26 , 27 to increase potential for exploring different participant viewpoints and personal experiences with yoga practice in the military or as a veteran. Qualitative interview guides were developed to be used with yoga students and instructors. Both instruments presented similar questions focusing on observed or experienced involvement in yoga practice and the resulting types of benefits or challenges. Study interviews were conducted by two trained research staff members. All interviews were digitally audio-recorded and professionally transcribed in preparation for content analysis. The lead qualitative data analyst reviewed recordings for accuracy and in case the meaning of the transcription was unclear. Most interviews lasted 40–50 min including time for the consenting process. The minimum and maximum interview lengths were 16 and 55 min, respectively.

2.3. Data analysis

A conventional content analysis approach 28 was employed to with attention to the aims of the supplemental grant and interview questions. A qualitative research expert began preliminary cycles of open and focused coding with approximately 20% of the total transcripts. The initial development of the codebook made use of the structured interview guide to identify contextualized segments of data that corresponded to targeted questions. 29 Transcript data that could not be categorized using the question-based coding approach were assigned novel codes reflective of important descriptive information that emerged in the text. In some cases, the addition of codes also resulted in expanding a subcategory of an already existing exemplar. 30 To further increase the validity of the coding schema, the lead analyst reviewed the codebook with an additional member of the research staff who had additional expertise on yoga and on working with military personnel. This joint review provided a deeper, multidisciplinary reflection on the coding and was designed to resolve any potential disagreements about the code assignments. 31

After the final coding schema was determined, all interview transcripts and the codebook were uploaded to a standardized web-based qualitative analysis program known as Dedoose (Version 6.1.18). 32 The Dedoose system stores, organizes and reconfigures the data to enable more efficient human analytic reflection. The lead and secondary analyst conducted the final cycle of coding, using Dedoose and all of the data, which facilitated arrangement and rearrangement of the most salient of the coded excerpts into essential concepts. A visualization scaffold of the findings was then created using the software program FreeMind. 33 Freemind is a display tool that assists researchers with conceptualizing patterns and relationships in the data that overlap and intersect. 34 These visual maps help researchers to explore shared meaning between categories to refine and highlight themes from the data findings. 35

A total of 52 people contacted study coordinators with interest in participating in the study. Seven were ineligible or declined further participation (1 did not practice yoga, 1 not military, 1 conflict of interest, 4 interview location or time not convenient). Of the remaining 45 eligible potential participants, the first 36 people that could participate at the designated interview location were enrolled (See Table 1 ). The remaining 9 potential participants were not enrolled and demographic data were not collected.

Participant Demographics.

Findings from the qualitative analysis identified key ideas and themes that were prevalent during the interviews of yoga students and instructors. These themes include (1) mental health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (2) physical health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (3) important yoga elements and conditions that promote effective practice and/or health benefit; (4) facilitators for engaging military in yoga practice; and (5) challenges and barriers to yoga practice for military.

Each theme is described with supporting quotes that were chosen based on being representative and/or an interesting illustration of the main ideas captured to exemplify the domain. Quotes are verbatim unless indicated by an ellipsis (…) to signal that small segments of text have been removed for the sake of clarity.

3.1. Mental health benefits

Our analysis revealed considerable discussion from both instructors and students of the benefits of yoga for managing health-related concerns. All study participants spoke at length about the clinical relevance of yoga for managing symptoms and conditions regardless of a person’s age, gender, or health status. Student participants often described their struggles with symptoms of depression, sadness, and stress-related anxiety. For many, the outcome of learning to control these symptoms through yoga practice also provided an opportunity to reduce some of the medications they were taking.

‘When you’re in emotional pain all the time you get sucked into a cycle of depression and suffering and you don’t want to talk to anyone or do anything. I started noticing after doing yoga class that it helped me reduce stress – keeps me more grounded I’d say. And it did help me reduce feelings of depression.’ (Veteran student)

“I feel like yoga… it makes me happy, doing yoga. I just want to do it all the time. It prevents me from being stressed and worried. And I have an anxiety problem, as well, and so I didn’t want to take any anxiety pills, or anything like that, and yoga has actually benefitted me a lot. I’m not stressed or, well, my stress levels have come down tremendously, and I’m just more relaxed.” (Veteran student)

“We all are not 100 percent. The yoga experience, well basically all I can say is that honestly, it has helped me… I was taking six, seven types of different medication, and now I’m only taking, right now, three.” (Active Duty student)

Likewise, many instructors elaborated on how yoga can be a great antidote for sleep problems. Instructors described that for many of the students, the opportunity to practice yoga allowed for a significant calming effect, which also provided a more effective way to relax and to achieve a peaceful night’s rest.

“They come in and they tell me that their mind’s going wild, and in an hour they’ll come to me and say, ‘I can’t believe how different I feel.’ They’ll come back the next week, and say, ‘I can’t believe how I slept that night, or how it’s immediate benefits that they’re feeling right away.” (Instructor)

I know for a fact that in the yoga classes, that was the first time some of the combat guys actually fell asleep, or let go, or completely relaxed.” (Instructor)

Students and instructors alike emphasized how yoga helps to provide a sense of improved emotional well-being, improved cognitive functioning and structure. Some students stated that as a result of doing yoga they were able to transfer skills and discipline they learned into other areas of their life.

“When I didn’t have it [yoga], you know, life was just like… there was no direction. It was a little chaotic. And then I had a practice and then I had a routine. I had found my discipline again. And things started to fall into place, you know. I was taking classes and, you know, having goals again. And I think I equate this to being… to this practice of taking yoga.” (Veteran student)

“Cognitive function improves through the yoga practice. I would say whatever that practice is. So if your cognitive function improves, your decision-making improves. Less emotional. Can make faster and better decisions. And that brings a state of awareness for these students… so they don’t have to react emotionally to every event that occurs.” (Instructor)

Other students disclosed personal experiences in which they recalled increased feelings of positivity through yoga, which helped to promote compassion, emotional sensitivity and improved interaction with family, friends, and even strangers.

“My attitude was starting to grow in more positive ways. It [yoga] just kinda was the trigger. It was the gateway that helped lead me to overall healthy living and mindset and general attitude toward people, not just my daily attitude… once I realized that, well okay, I can take charge of myself and regain my happiness to its fullest.” (Veteran student)

“I’m more patient. I’m more present to things. I’m better. I’ve always been a pretty good observer and listener but I’m even better now. I guess those are kinda the changes that really stand out… the patience and the presence and the ability to listen to others and stuff like that. And then maybe just a general increased feeling of connectedness with everyone.” (Veteran student)

3.2. Physical health benefits

Substantial improvements in minimizing symptoms for pain-associated disorders were noted by several students and instructors. Many of the participants’ personal stories included examples of how practicing yoga seemed to reduce pain intensity/frequency for conditions such as arthritis, lower back pain, migraines, and headaches. Statements on reduction of pain also frequently correlated with additional comments on achieving a calmer mental state, of which both instructors and students insisted was helpful in falling asleep and staying asleep for longer durations of time through the night.

“I went to physical therapy and … they just didn’t really help so I do that hot yoga and it has helped with my neck, back, and knee pain . If I stop doing yoga then it all comes back. I feel overall physically healthy from practicing.” (Veteran student)

“I used to have sciatica issues that were getting sometimes worse… and since I’ve started [yoga], even if that does flare-up a little bit it goes away within a couple of days. And, really, it’s just fewer and farther between. A lot of my joints, I guess, have been kind of reformed a little bit, where… knee popping and stuff that used to happen, it just kind of went away.” (Veteran student)

“I have a lot of pain, so for me to be able to do some of these things… I’m full of scar tissue in me, so I have to constantly keep moving that, and that’s how I break it up and move it, is by doing all these crazy poses… I used to go days without sleeping because of the pain, or I’d drink a half of fifth in three glasses till I passed out. But now, yeah, I can (sleep) – and no meds – I can just lay down and rest.” (Veteran student)

“We know it helps take away pain. And it reduces stress. It leaves you feeling calm when you’re done with the yoga class. And that’s what I promised them was a good night’s sleep, and so that’s what they got, a good night’s sleep without pain or anxiety waking them up all hours of the night.” (Instructor)

Improved physical functioning with respect to muscular strength, body flexibility and balance/coordination were repeatedly cited as positive outcomes among students. Iyengar and more general Hatha yoga seemed to be the most typically mentioned styles of yoga practice reported by students and instructors. Both forms were also regarded as easily adaptable for older veterans.

“My balance has improved. I mean, when I first started practicing yoga, I could not stand on one foot for more than say, half a second. Now, I can– well at least on the right foot, I can hold dancer pose for I’d say maybe thirty seconds. Still a lot of hamstring tension and stuff. I’m sure it’s from my heels. Doing yoga is working it out slowly. I definitely feel like I’m stronger than I used to feel.” (Veteran student)

“Doing Hatha yoga really helped me with basic muscle recovery, because if you try to work out a stiff muscle and try to break that down, it’s going to be slower for it to recover. We do stretching, and breathing, and also poses at the same time too. We do downward dog and child’s pose… just nice, easy, relaxing, nothing too strenuous. It’s to help stretch out and let go of all the tension that you have.” (Active Duty student)

“So it’s definitely not one size fits all with veterans in my classes, but you kind of find that middle range, which is generally a gentle Hatha beginner’s to where everybody gets a little bit of stretch and poses that activate the parasympathetic nervous system. I fluctuate… some days it can be slow and other days it can be faster. They want to develop flexibility and strength but they need the breathing and relaxation.” (Instructor)

Several students described trying other forms of yoga (Kundalini and Bikram) to broaden their practice holistically. In these cases, all additional practice classes were attended at local studios, not designed or taught specifically for military personnel. More than half of the students also discussed supplementing their yoga practice with swimming, walking and in a few cases playing golf. Still others increased the frequency of their practice with “at home” sessions, which may have included some general stretching, yoga DVDs, Yoga YouTube, or Yoga Wii.

3.3. Important yoga elements and conditions that support effective practice

When asked about the most important aspects of yoga practice, students described an array of elements, such as physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation, spiritual aspects of yoga, and focusing the mind.

“I like the challenge of the different asanas. But I would say what I enjoy the most is the Happy Child pose. I also think the breathing and meditation is important too. Especially when I have had one of those stressful days… sometimes I just take, like, five minutes away from everyone and just breathe until I can refocus my attention.” (Active Duty student)

“The one I liked and is most beneficial to me is the warrior series where you really get into the pose and you breathe and really stretch. And then you can turn and then I can feel it all through my body, down the legs and stuff and the feet. That’s my favorite.” (Veteran student)

“I’m a very spiritual person. I grew up Catholic. I don’t consider myself a religious person. But I consider myself very spiritual, and I think that’s the most important thing… when we are seated in meditation and really reflecting and kind of thinking about what matters the most in life. I think that part of my practice helps me the most.” (Active Duty student)

Instructors also commented on the important effects of breathing and relaxation for their active or retired military students. Several of the instructors explained that without the students’ ability to master the benefits of pranayama, the underlying transition of connecting breath to body would be difficult to cultivate and even harder to bring them to experience the “present” in the moment and quiet an overactive mind.

“To me it’s their breathing. It’s the breathing. It’s getting them to recognize what a full breath is. Getting them to recognize the benefits of breathing and using a three-part breath. Using pranayama… and then connecting that breath to their body, doing a body scan at the end… I can see the rhythm as they’re in that final resting post.” (Instructor)

“So before you can begin to feel your body, you have to get focused, and so the breath, the breath rhythm, brings you into the here and now. It brings you from sympathetic to parasympathetic, and then that base is what you use– the breath work is what you use throughout the physical practice. So if you… start the physical practice without the pranayama foundation, you’re already cheating your students.” (Instructor)

Additionally, instructors described their efforts to develop a yoga practice that was trauma-informed and sensitive to the needs of active or retired military personnel. Several instructors pointed out strategic preferences to the layout of the room and positioning of the mats, such as backs to the wall; feet toward the door, while others described the importance of instructor conduct and guidance during practice. Yoga students did not make any reference to trauma-sensitivity or its importance, although they were not specifically asked about it. It is possible that instructor attention to this issue made it a non-issue for students.

“I went to a training with Connected Warriors. Wow. I learned I have to change some things around, the way I teach for veterans who are trauma-sensitive. Like, the positioning of the room, where I would be sitting, where they would be sitting. They want to have a window. Or they were even saying if you have a window with blinds you want to prevent somebody from walking past that on the outside. Some vets might take it as a sniper or something like that. You have to watch the words you say. You can’t say corpse pose at all… you have to be careful that none of the terms are words or situations that would provoke anxiety. The poses themselves, however they seem to be fine with that part.” (Instructor)

“A lot of our students are unwilling to be touched or manually adjusted in a posture. Too much spotlight on them, I tell people, ‘You’re not being judged. I’m not judging you. You have to learn your limits,’ and I start at a pose and then I either say, ‘You can ease up on it or you can increase it,’ but nobody ever feels threatened. We are sensitive to the kinds of injuries that the doctors send them in with, they prescribe yoga to–and we’re very much aware of that, and that’s how we practice.” (Instructor)

A number of instructors also emphasized the importance of having sufficient supportive yoga equipment (mats, blocks, belts, blankets) to assist in modifying poses not only as a safety precaution but to assure success, trust, and comfort for the students during a yoga session.

“In my class the Navy has provided us with everything. We have mats, props, blankets, pillows, sandbags, pads to put our feet on. So they’re in like a little cocoon. They’re very well protected. We make them feel safe.” (Instructor)

3.4. Facilitators for engaging military in yoga practice

Most active and retired veteran students expressly stated they prefer to do their practice in a classroom setting where an instructor is available to demonstrate, observe and assist them with different postures and adjustments. Instructors and students each repeatedly praised military bases and hospitals for not only endorsing but offering yoga classes for active duty and veteran personnel. This commendation was acknowledged as perhaps the greatest facilitator for engaging and encouraging military members to enroll in yoga classes.

“I think that yoga should be implemented in every command in the Navy without a doubt. Not only is it cost effective… but it’s also extremely beneficial because with increased flexibility you, of course, have less injuries.” (Active Duty).

“We have a yoga class at the hospital base you can come to,” and so people come out and try it and see if they like it. I’ve had students with me now for 10 years. I’ve seen more growth in that direction. And as I said, one of the departments sent an email to all their patients and said, ‘please try the yoga class,’ so that to me was a huge step in supporting our work and letting the people know that yoga is something the military endorses for good health.” (Instructor)

“I did a yoga challenge on base. There were all kinds of ranks in there, and I did that purposely, because I thought these guys would love that… standing next to a commander and they’re enlisted. You know, because the commanders or the chiefs are present… these guys are encouraged more to do yoga. And there’s no stigma between the ranks. I had a lot of chiefs really interested in taking the yoga program to their PT training.” (Instructor)

Students also spoke enthusiastically about introducing and including significant family members to the practice of yoga. Many saw this as an opportunity to not only grow in their practice of yoga but also importantly increase family time together with loved ones.

“My husband doing it [yoga] with me or me doing it with him. I think, one, if you’re fit and you’re stretching, you know, it’s going to prevent injuries, especially as we get older. I think it just kind of brings a balance. It’s certainly brought me and my husband closer together doing something together. And then, just getting me being stronger.” (Veteran student)

“I’m lucky because I am actually able to afford to do it [yoga], both in time and money. So, right now we have a family membership-type thing, where we just… so we pay one set amount for the year and for unlimited classes. It includes a couple different types of yoga plus Cross-Fit, which I like to do. Plus, having a supportive spouse, because my wife does it also. And so, in that case, it is just good. Yoga is another common thing for us to do together and enjoy. My wife is really encouraging.” (Veteran student)

“I definitely want to look into bringing my daughter into it [yoga]. Yeah, so, we can try to make it a little family thing, because it’s– yoga doesn’t really cost anything, but it’s something that could help build a family together. If like one of us is struggling with something, we can help be there to help them out, to understand it and to be able to push through little issues. It was just by luck and by coincidence that they did have this at the beach at a clinic that I was already going to.” (Active Duty)

3.5. Challenges and barriers to yoga practice for military

For active and retired military managing psychological burdens and acute medical conditions, the prospect of initiating a yoga practice may be viewed skeptically as an effective self-care behavioral treatment. Both students and instructors recounted personal experiences where simply “getting in the door” produced enormous resistance and apprehension before they were cognitively able to perceive the potential benefits from it.

“Sometimes I just don’t want to be around people. Like… I’m sensitive to being in groups. It’s like nails on a chalkboard within groups sometimes. Just getting out is hard enough and being around people … so close. I sometimes can’t breathe. There were moments I just wanted to run out of class.” (Veteran student)

“I had a back injury. So there is, I know there’s a position where we get into that I can’t do or when I do it I have to kind of just kind of pull back and just say, ‘Well, I’m just going to sit here and watch everybody.’ So you have to know your physical limitations. And the instructor stresses that all the time. I had to learn that if it hurts, then stop what you’re doing… and just wait it out.” (Veteran student).

“I think there is a lot of resistance to getting internal and being in touch with your emotions… especially when you get back from deployment or if you’ve been deployed you do have to numb out a little bit, because it’s intense and it’s emotional. A lot of these people don’t feel alive unless they’re ramped up. So the process is slow in breaking these barriers down and supporting them to open up.” (Instructor)

Other challenges explicitly reported by students targeted the problem of “stigma,” which proved to be an insightful topic. Many of the students shared misperceptions around yoga that were especially common in military culture. Negative typecasting of yoga included concerns that yoga is not macho or manly, not a sport or a competition, and not comparable to endurance or physical training workouts. There were also statements suggesting that yoga is not well understood by many in this population, and myths or stereotypes might be perpetuated in military culture.

“They probably think that it’s either some dope smoking hippie with incense or ‘We’re gonna give you all a hug when it’s all over.’ And then those yoga pants and all of these yoga studios… it’s everywhere. And it’s everywhere in the media, yoga this and yoga that. So guys say, ‘No, I need to throw around weights. That’s what I like. I wanna run 26 miles and bike another 30 and swim for 5 miles.” (Veteran student)

‘I would say the fear of the unknown. They might see a bit of yoga on TV, as an exercise or something and they’ll see these poses where you’re stretching here and you’re bending here and you’re doing all this. So there’s a fear maybe, “Oh, that might hurt me. I can’t. I might break something or do something or strain something.’ (Veteran)

‘I wouldn’t even say it’s military as much as it’s men thinking that it’s a women’s sport or not even a sport, they think that it’s stretching and silliness, you know, “Oh, I’m probably going to go in there and just, ‘Om’ and what good is that going to do me?” (Active Duty).

Other challenges that students described included financial concerns regarding the affordability of classes that were off base and located closer to home. For military who are deployed, the challenge was just straightforward availability.

‘It’s just getting there lately, because I’ve been having a lot of critically ill patients at the hospital and I’m busy all day, and then afterward I’ll barely do a few things, like a 10-minute practice, and then on my day off—I don’t want to drive back in… I just have to get into a routine. So that’s definitely been my barrier lately.’ (Active Duty)

“If you’re a Marine or you’re on a ship, it’s just not something that you can work into your day. They have very busy days, especially if they’re deploying, or whatever, when they need it the most. If you’re taking it out in town, there’s a cost effect. It’s pretty expensive.” (Veteran student)

4. Discussion

Prior to this study, very little qualitative research on yoga in military populations has been conducted. This study uniquely highlights participants representing active duty and veteran yoga students as well as instructors who have taught yoga for active duty or veterans. Although there is a growing body of quantitative research on yoga in military populations, the qualitative approach of the present study provide unique insights into the experiences, perspectives, and attitudes toward yoga in this population, and suggests a number of important areas in which yoga research and yoga programs can promote and facilitate this non-pharmacological option in this population.

Five themes were prevalent among the 36 qualitative interviews conducted with active and retired military yoga students and instructors who taught for military personnel: (1) mental health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (2) physical health benefits experienced from yoga practice; (3) important yoga elements and conditions that support effective practice; (4) facilitators for engaging military in yoga practice; and (5) challenges and barriers to yoga practice for military. All themes share a core construct that is central to the specific aims of the study − to explore and understand the attitudes toward, preferences for, and perceived efficacy of yoga and varying types of practice for different health conditions.

Both students and instructors described a variety of experiences supporting the use of yoga for improving mental health. Given the evidence demonstrating elevated rates of psychological disorders in military populations, it is not surprising that our active duty and veteran students reported a variety of psychological challenges (depression, sadness, stress-related anxiety and disturbed sleep), which motivated their interest in using yoga as a means of symptom relief. Benefits the students described included not only reducing anxiety and depression but also increasing happiness and having stronger feelings of self-efficacy and a greater sense of positivity toward others. Yoga instructors frequently noted the calming influence yoga had on their students, both during actual practice sessions and in student reports about experiencing a peaceful night of sleep and the ability to regulate stress. The acceptance of yoga practice, especially among some of the yoga students who were initially skeptical, is in line with a growing consensus of researchers and military clinicians that the focus on breathing, meditation, movement, and emotional regulation promotes an acceptable new option for addressing mental and physical health challenges in this population.

The practice of yoga has the benefit of combining psychologically beneficial tools with physical movement and postures to improve strength, balance, flexibility, and in some interventions, aerobic fitness. In this vein, the majority of our active duty and veteran students commented frequently on the relevance of maintaining yoga practice to control chronic pain and other physical symptoms. In several instances, students claimed to have reduced their reliance on medications through yoga practice. In fact, the importance of medication reduction was noted by student participants multiple times in both the mental and physical health themes referencing the therapeutic effect derived from yoga practice for reducing or alleviating structural, physiological, and emotional distress or limitations. Many instructors and students pointed out the physical health benefits that yoga provides because it is multidimensional and adaptable, and yoga sessions and poses can be modified for military personnel and veterans with a wide variety of health conditions and physical needs. Improved physical functioning also seemed to motivate more than half of active duty and veteran students to supplement their yoga practice with additional home practice or other forms of exercise that emphasize development of flexibility and strength and focus on proper breathing and mindfulness with movement.

When asked about important yoga elements and conditions that support effective practice, students and instructors alike remarked on the importance of breathing exercises as fundamental to the activation of the body’s relaxation response and ability to control stress. Breathing and seated meditation during yoga were commonly described by students and instructors as important elements allowing for the safe release of stored emotions such as relief from anger, grief, and the rumination of negative traumatic thoughts. Using elements such as breathing, mindfulness, and meditative postures, students cultivated the ability to focus on the present and control feelings or at least understand them as temporal and transient. These elements are quite similar to those noted as being important in a qualitative study of veterans who were cancer survivors. 36

An important facilitator for engaging active duty and veterans in yoga practice identified by both instructors and students was the active endorsement by military bases and hospitals and veterans’ services that offer yoga classes for military personnel. Many active duty students described participating in yoga classes on base where it was common to find a commander or chief standing next to enlisted men and women during practice and thus building a sense of community and bonding, even among different ranks. This same sense of community was similarly important for veterans, too, in creating opportunities to explore nonconventional healing modalities and nurturing a much-needed sense of support in releasing long held wartime experiences that have become intertwined with living a “normal” life. In fact, for veterans and active duty, many of our students were enthusiastic to expand their yoga experience into family-shared yoga practice that increased important time spent together with loved ones. In addition to the benefits received via military camaraderie and family encouragement, many students also viewed yoga practice as a smart strategy to sustain flexibility, muscular strength and balance and reduce the potential for future injuries or infirmity.

Additionally, several of our instructors discussed the importance of delivering trauma-sensitive yoga to military and veteran populations. They noted the availability of trauma-sensitive training for yoga instructors and they noted preferences to the layout of the room, where the instructor would be sitting, the positioning of mats, and consideration for students who may not want to be touched or manually adjusted during a yoga session. These features were seen not only as a safety precaution for a trauma-informed class but to increase trust and comfort for the students during their yoga practice.

Finally, instructors stressed the importance of being able to provide mats, props, blankets, and pillows to again support the safety and feeling of being protected in the class, as well as to facilitate the delivery of yoga interventions to veterans and military personnel who present with a very wide variety of abilities and medical challenges. Depending on the class, an instructor may teach to both a 20-year old able-bodied individual with PTSD and a 70-year old individual who has undergone amputation or major back surgery in the past. The use of props and modifications are an important and well accepted part of delivering therapeutic yoga, as advocated by various styles of yoga such as Iyengar 37 and Viniyoga.

In contrast to facilitators of yoga practice, one of the greatest dif-ficulties or challenges to practicing yoga noted by both instructors and students was acute or severe psychological and medical conditions for which props or modifications may be more challenging. Several students also described a strong resistance and apprehension they carried toward yoga in the past. They also previously believed that benefits or changes from yoga were not possible, particularly at a time when physical limitations and sensitivity to being around people made the notion of practice nearly unbearable to personally endure. Student participants also reported being confronted with expectations set in traditional exercise models emphasizing muscular fitness and relief through physical exhaustion. These comments revealed perceptions that yoga is not strenuous enough, or requires incredible feats of flexibility, despite research indicating the adaptability and acceptability of yoga for different health conditions in the general population, 38 , 39 and more recently, in studies with veterans and military personnel. 40 , 15 , 41 , 42

Another challenge explored was the topic of stigma, which has been an ongoing hurdle in promoting yoga classes with the military, given the negative stereotype that it is not macho or manly. Certainly the students who we interviewed who were involved in attending yoga classes and had participated with other veterans or active duty felt there was more work to be done by the military and general public to develop a better holistic understanding about the importance of a yoga practice. Additional challenges mentioned included military who were deployed with no access to classes and the financial burden of seeking yoga classes at private studios, which might be closer to home and offer greater availability of classes.

5. Limitations of the study

As a qualitative study, the generalizability of our findings may be limited due to the size of our sample for students and instructors. Thus, it is hard to know whether the views expressed would extend beyond those sampled. Similarly, the interviews were only conducted with military personnel/veterans and instructors who have engaged in yoga on a regular basis in the past. Thus, the data do not reveal the attitudes or perspectives toward yoga of yoga-naïve military personnel/veterans, and why they have not tried yoga, or why they may have discontinued yoga after starting yoga practice. Future research should include those individuals who have not tried or dropped out of yoga classes. Additionally, the structured and comparative approach of the interview script was driven by the objectives of the research and likely influenced the content and direction of discussion. Finally, although many of the participants discussed and provided insight into the health conditions they faced, we did not gather detailed information regarding health conditions or some demographic variables. There were no participation criteria concerning the presence of specific health conditions, limiting the generalization of the data to any specific health conditions.

6. Conclusion

This study provides detailed insight into the first-hand experiences of military personnel/veterans and instructors who have practiced or taught yoga as a sustained practice. The findings highlight a) the potential importance of efforts by military leadership to bring CIH to military personnel and veterans; b) reports of mental and physical benefits of yoga practice; c) ongoing stigma and a possible need for combatting and demystifying yoga and other CIH practices; and d) the importance of designing interventions and emphasizing instructor-sensitivity to address the unique mental health issues and perspectives of this population.

This study was funded by grant 1R01AT006466-01 and supplement 1R01AT006466-01S from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2017.10.008 .

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