Studies show that post-traumatic stress disorder increases the prevalence of domestic violence when soldiers return home, but less is known about how little the United States Army is doing to combat this problem. One example is the story of a soldier who physically abused his wife, Adriana Renteria, so badly that she was admitted to the hospital. The soldier, Sergeant Carlos Renteria, was arrested for domestic violence, but the U.S. Army, which had jurisdiction over him, refused to prosecute. According to the New York Times, he was sent back to Iraq and as of yet has not been prosecuted by a military or civilian court.
Ms. Renteria’s story exemplifies how little is done, despite promises by the Army to deal with domestic violence in its soldiers, when a problem comes to their attention. The Pentagon conducted a study in 2003 after several soldiers killed their wives. The “investigation concluded that the military was doing a better job of shielding service members from punishment than protecting their wives from harm.” (Cited in: Alvarez, Lizette, Despite Army’s Assurances, Violence at Home, New York Times (22 November 2008). Since then, the Army claims to be working on improving the situation, but advocates actually cite an increase in domestic violence by combat troops since 2006, even when taking into account the fact that many victims do not report incidents.
Compiled from: Alvarez, Lizette, Despite Army’s Assurances, Violence at Home, New York Times (22 November 2008)