Written By: Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., SAMHSA Administrator

Service, duty, honor, courage, and sacrifice are words that come to mind when we stop to reflect on why America celebrates the Memorial Day holiday.  Since its beginning, Memorial Day has been an opportunity to pause and reflect on the sacrifices of our country’s fallen heroes – more than one million service members – who have made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedoms.

Today we have a new generation of heroes to honor with over two million service members having deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since September 11, 2001.  Sorrowfully, over 6,400 U.S. service members have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.  For those who have come home, the increased exposure to combat stress has created a growing number of service members with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Additionally, military families are not immune to the stresses of deployment. There is a growing body of research on the impact of prolonged deployment and trauma-related stress on military families, particularly spouses and children.  There are approximately 700,000 military spouses and an additional 400,000 spouses of Reserve members. More than 700,000 children have experienced one or more parental deployment. Currently, about 220,000 children have a parent deployed.

As we step back from our busy lives this weekend to honor the lives of those who never made it home, let us also take the opportunity to remember those who returned but are coping with the visible and invisible wounds of war. We recognize the dedication and sacrifice of their friends, family members, and loved ones as well.