After surviving some of the bloodiest combat in Afghanistan, the men of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment stayed connected on social media for support at home as they grappled with the fallout of war.It was a rough transition to civilian life. Many men were disillusioned about why they fought; others
After surviving some of the bloodiest combat in Afghanistan, the men of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment stayed connected on social media for support at home as they grappled with the fallout of war.
Party strategists and analysts tend to treat veterans as a homogeneous voting bloc, conservative-leaning and focused mainly on defense and benefits issues. But veterans are increasingly diverse in their outlook, and deeply divided over the coming election. Story continuesIn 2015, veterans of the battalion’s combat deployments had a suicide rate 14 times the national average, and Branch, who lives in Texas, helped to set up the rapid response network of volunteers who could race to the scene when a fellow battalion veteran was contemplating suicide. The group made several critical interventions to save lives.
“He had a message that also resonated with a lot of vets,” said Alex McCoy, a former Marine who is now political director of Common Defense, a political action group working to mobilize veterans to vote against Trump. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines deployed to Iraq during the troop surge of 2007, and again to Afghanistan in 2008. Many came home wounded or reeling from loss, uncertain how to move on in a civilian world that seemed oblivious to their sacrifice.
“These are guys I used to get together with, and reminisce about the old days. It just shows how social media has changed things. Unfortunately, the tools designed to bring us closer are actually pushing us apart.”
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