ABSTRACT
Since 2001, more than 2 million service men and women have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and by the end of 2010, combat deployments had resulted in some 5,500 service member deaths and more than 37,000 serious injuries. Paralleling these operational causalities, our military forces have also experienced a large number of stress-related causalities, including service members demonstrating post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as evidence of depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and suicidal behaviors. For some service members, these symptoms actually emerge after their return home from the war zone and/or after their return to civilian life (AFHSC, 2010; Institute of Medicine, 2010).
