Soldiers after War-Zone Deployment

This is the fourth report in the project “Danish soldiers after a war-zone deployment”, which examines the consequences of deployment for Danish soldiers who participate in international military missions.
The report sheds light on a number of aspects concerning the current situation of previously deployed soldiers, including social and financial aspects, the soldiers' own assessment of deployment experiences, morbidity, smoking habits and drug and alcohol use. The results contribute to a more detailed understanding of how soldiers fare after they have participated in international military missions.
The survey shows that 17% of veterans experience permanent mental after-effects from their deployment. The wounded and repatriated are especially vulnerable and to a greater extent than other veterans these people experience physical pain and poor well-being after their deployment. Furthermore, the results reveal the existence of a potentially vulnerable group of 'invisible' veterans, who have been deployed once and are no longer employed with Danish Defence.
The report is based on data from a questionnaire survey of 3,198 veterans who were on deployments during the period 1992-2009. The report has been commissioned and financed by Soldaterlegatet (soldier's foundation).