Aggression in The Military Pre and Post Deployment
Introduction
In todays advanced technological society, we are plagued with constant reports of violence. every day we turn our televisions on there is another report of an individual being harmed because some service member decided to abuse his or her authority or an innocent citizen is harmed by another civilian. Many of these cases involve individuals in the military. Media coverage of violence and assaults committed by ex-servicemen has focused attention on whether serving in combat makes soldiers less stable and more prone to violent outbursts (Kelland, 203, para.). There are however a number of cases that are not as highlighted as the ones we see or hear in the media that is associated with intimate partner violence, mass shootings and or homicides. This has become an issue especially when the perpetrator belongs to the military. These behaviors lead to certain studies trying to determine if the military creates aggressive individuals or was aggression a characteristic of the individual before they enlisted. On November 5th, 2009, Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed a total of 3 individuals after committing a shooting spree at Fort Hood Texas. 2 years later an Individual by the name of Estaban Santiago executed a mass shooting at the Fort- Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport killing a total of 5 individuals and injuring 6. After Esteban Santiago killed five people at the
Fort Lauderdale airport on Jan. 6, reports trickled out that the Iraq War veteran had returned from his 20 combat tour a changed man (Steele, 207). These two incidences are not the only mass shootings or violent activity that has involved military personnel who were deployed. This research is conducted to determine what might be the underlying cause of aggression in these individuals and whether or not the military should be blamed for creating violent individuals. This topic is important because if findings should suggest that there is a correlation between the military and aggressive behavior then a lot needs to be done to correct the problem. The research is aimed at determining whether or not there is a correlation between deployment exposure and aggressive criminal behavior in reserved and active duty military personnel. The topic has been studied by several individuals, but the issue is not discussed as it should be to bring awareness. Another reason for conducting this research is to determine if more needs to be done to evaluate individuals on a psychological level before they enlist. The research is also intended to determine what deterrence methods should be in place to prevent an individual from succumbing to aggression after they have enlisted or been discharged from their duties.
Variables
Upon conducting this research, the following variables will be studied along with other factors to better understand the topic: