This is what it comes down to....

16 Afghans dead at the hands of an American Soldier...Who do we blame? Do we cast the blame solely on the Soldier? Or maybe on the circumstances? Do we even have a clear view on what the circumstances were? Troubles at home? Troubles within the unit? Who knows!
What I do know is that the mental health of United States service members should be at the top of every one's list of concerns. There is so much information about mental health, yet no one is really doing anything about it. Check the block actions are not going to cut it. These men and women are coming home to the everyday stresses of life. They are coming home to husbands and wives that have discovered an independence. They are coming home to children that barely know them. Yet, the block gets checked. Soldiers deploy over and over. Back to back tours. Still the block gets checked. There is no real counseling, there is no real mental health check up.
It is not hard to see how a Soldier can completely get lost in a place like Afghanistan. There is no telling what kind of "outside" of the job stressors were in his life. Personally I am not surprised that something like this hasn't happened sooner.
Nothing will change. The Soldiers will return home, the block will be checked and mental issues will be left untreated. Family and friends will have to watch as a Soldier deteriorates or creates more problems for themselves and their families.
Why is the divorce rate so high? Can't imagine...19 years old marrying the first thing that pays them any sort of attention. Allowed to do it, because no one wants to sit a 19 year old kid down and tell them that they might be making a bad decision. Soldiers in financial straights...well I can't imagine that either! Let's throw all kinds of money at these kids and they will know what to do with it.
How about we solve the problems before they can happen? Let's require that service members attend group counseling sessions. No rank, no uniforms, just a group of men and women that have been through the same type of things. Let's require family counseling. It isn't easy raising a family when one parent is consistently gone. Instead of throwing money at Soldiers, let's teach Soldiers and their families how to manage their money better. Require that Soldiers attend a financial management class with every pcs.
A class that actually teaches, not a check the block. Checking the block is doing nothing for Soldiers and their families.
Let's solve a few of the divorce rate problems. Require that service members be a certain rank before being allowed to marry. Require that all service members and their soon to be spouse attend counseling before getting married.