Survivors of war still face fatal risks.

After returning home from the war in Iraq, many military personnel describe the feeling as being "free as a bird." This feeling has been influencing many of them to drive wildly and to do things they wouldn't normally do. After being home for three days, Army Spc. Robert Tipp Jr. decided to drive his four wheeler as hard as he could, causing this 20 year old to die from massive head injury. Many think that the thought of having no apparent danger such as what the military experiences in Iraq, causes them to feel invincible. Another veteran and a friend were recently killed in his Trans Am right outside of a military base from losing control while traveling about 90 mph. From 2003 to 2004, when troops first returned in large numbers from Iraq, 132 soldiers died in vehicle accidents. This was a 28% jump from the previous 12 months. Two-thirds of them were veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan. In the past seven months, 80 soldiers died in vehicle accidents. This is a 23% increase from the same period a year earlier. Four out of five were veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Hopefully veterans realize that they are not invincible and start living more responsibly, or more casualties may result from the war in Iraq without a single shot being fired.






http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-02-soldiers-accidents-cover_x.htm