Tiger Mate
TM What an insightful post. You are right on the money.
This is a worldwide problem. In my limited experience (Australian Army, two operational deployments) I have seen have lives of quite a few collegues unravel after returning home. Some become addicts of some kind (especially alchahol), some beat their wives, some just become completely unhinged and some sadly commit suicide.
The worst part is the fact that Defence (at least in Australia) completely washes their hands of them once they are no longer able to serve. They are just burned up and thrown away. It is disgusting and makes me extremely angry.