German Afghanistan Veteran’s Homecoming

AGI

americangerman.institute
Building a Smarter German-American Partnership

In an interesting article in the Washington Post, Michael Birnbaum outlines how Germany’s participation in the war in Afghanistan has given rise to discussions how the country is treating homecoming soldiers. While Germany’s history gives this question a unique dimension, echos of the debate about the treatment of soldiers returning with PTSD can also be found in the U.S. While medical advancements allow more and more soldiers to come home from war, they do so with deep physical and mental scars. What  policies are needed to confront these domestic consequences of our foreign policy choices? How will German and American societies have to adapt to help returning veterans and allow for their successful re-integration?