The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recently published an annual report that highlights how divorce rates among its service members have remained fairly constant since 1996. That percentage currently hovers just below 4%, a number that is similar to the civilian divorce rate. While that index may seem relatively low, researchers at the investigative news firm InsideSources (IS) recently interviewed service members and found that divorce is far more common in the military that the DOD statistics allude to. It’s most common among those soldiers that have endured long deployments.
One service member that IS interviewed spoke of how he spent a significant amount of time deployed in Iraq between 2005 and 2010. There were 12 fellow married soldiers in his platoon that he remained in contact with following his return stateside. Only one is still married today. The soldier contends that his fellow soldiers’ deployments played a significant role in ruining their marriages.
U.S. Census Bureau data tends to align with the anecdotes service members tell. The federal agency’s data shows that military-related roles are three of the top 10 career fields with the highest divorce rates in the country.
Data analyzed by a researcher at Brigham Young University (BYU) shows that combat veterans have a 62% higher chance of separating or divorcing than their fellow soldiers that never were deployed. Divorce is highest among those service members who spent extensive time in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Feelings of resentment, fears of infidelity and mental health issues are just three of the many concerns that plague service members and their spouses both while deployed and when they return from deployment. These factors often contribute to soldiers and their spouses in Hamilton throwing the towel in on their marriages. A military divorce attorney can help you navigate the unchartered waters that come with your decision to end your Ohio marriage.
