Are you a veteran or do you have any close friends or relatives who are?
If so how do you believe military service has affected you or them?
How easy was it for you or them to integrate back into society?
How do you think our attitude towards veterans might be different if we had universal military service?
Before the Vietnam War veterans were generally respected. Troops returning from that war were
often reviled. How can we separate our feelings about the morality of a particular combat from
our feelings about the people who participated in it?
The term PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) was first introduced in 1980 and began to be
popularized after the first Iraq war to
describe the long-term effects of battlefield trauma on returning veterans. What do you know about how this issue is being addressed by the Veterans Administration?
What do you think is the best way to heal it?
Since we now have an exclusively volunteer army, what do you think the reasons are that people choose to join the military?
In some cases are they joining for rewards - like free education, job security and a decent income - that you believe should be available to them in other ways?
How do you think people's reasons for joining the military affect how they feel when they are finished with their service?
In general do you think military recruitment advertising is honest or deceitful?
Do you think there should be more venues where veterans and non-veterans can come together to
discuss experiences of and opinions about war? If so, what kind of meeting places would you suggest and
how should these get togethers be conducted?
What do you believe military service best prepares people for when their service is over?
What capacities in people do you believe military service can damage or destroy?
How can conditions of military service be changed so that returning veterans have an easier time coming
back into and enjoying normal society?
How can veterans be encouraged to talk about and share their military experiences both with
fellow veterans and with those outside the military?
We know that rates of homelessness, addiction and suicide are higher among veterans than the
general population. Do you think this can best be addressed by having the government supply housing and
mental health treatment or by encouraging people to befriend veterans?
Or both?
What kind of support is being offered for the families of returning veterans?
How could this be increased or improved?