The Hidden Dangers for Military Members Outside Combat

Members of the Marine Corps, Navy Corps, federal law enforcement, and other U.S. Armed Forces can face significant dangers outside of combat situations. Many of these are of a physical nature, but there are countless ways that their mental health, financial wellness, and career paths can be threatened as well. 

These risks can create severe and long-lasting harmful problems for service members and their families. Understanding the dangers and sacrifices they face is crucial to providing the necessary support and resources for those who serve our country, often in unseen ways.

Is Being a Marine Dangerous?

Much is asked of every United States Marine, not only in wartime but every day. Even when they aren’t engaged in direct combat, being a Marine can be one of the most dangerous professions in or out of the military, as they also face dangers related to:

• Protecting U.S. embassies from attack, including and especially in cities and countries experiencing severe political unrest and violence.

• Conducting amphibious operations and assaults for non-war purposes, such as counterinsurgency missions in the Middle East

• Leading aid missions around the world — including in dangerous countries — in the wake of natural disasters and humanitarian crises

The Dangers of Joining the Navy Corps

Although most Navy Corpsmen don’t engage in direct combat, they often work in hospital or clinical settings on submarines and ships. During military conflicts, they serve as medics and even surgeons to Marines, sometimes in perilous places and situations or harsh weather conditions.

Navy Corpsmen must complete rigorous training that simulates high-stress situations and field conditions alongside the Marines they serve. This comes with the risk of injury, illness, and mental health challenges. For example, during their annual training at the Combined Arms Training Center at Camp Fuji in Japan, Corpsmen must execute fire and maneuver drills as well as combat training exercises, all while exposed to brutal winter weather conditions.

The Risks of Being a Federal Law Enforcement Officer

The vast majority of federal law enforcement officers work in U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. All are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests, which highlights the danger in their professions. In addition to assaults and vehicular accidents, federal law enforcement officers are at high risk of becoming extremely stressed, depressed, or suicidal as well as developing cardiovascular disease.

Those in the Border Patrol, for example, often encounter situations that require them to make split-second decisions with grave legal and ethical implications. Although the overall risk of fatal injury is lower for Border Patrol agents than it is for non-military police officers, Border Patrol agents still experience a significant risk of death. In recent years, this has most often been related to vehicle accidents, COVID-19, health-related accidents, and violence-related occurrences.

Non-combat Hazards Faced by Members of the U.S. Military at Large

Members of all branches of the military face personal and professional risks. The list below is not exhaustive, but it does describe a few major categories of non-combat occupational hazards.

Physical Risks

Injuries During Routine Military Operations

Military personnel often sustain serious physical injuries during training exercises, deployments, and even daily duties related to routine non-combat operations. These injuries can result in long-term physical disabilities, chronic pain, and a diminished quality of life for the remainder of a service member’s lifespan, even after they complete lengthy medical treatments and rehabilitation.

Some injuries, especially those of a musculoskeletal nature, result from repetitive motions, heavy lifting, and the physical strain of carrying heavy equipment over long periods of time. The demands of military service can also lead to repetitive traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and general wear and tear on the body from demanding physical environments.

Other injuries are specific to environments and duties related to military assets. When Navy service members and Marines are on ships or aircraft, there is always the danger of falling overboard. Sailors and Marines who work on the flight deck and with aircraft in flight risk falling out of planes and helicopters during routine maintenance. They may also experience hard landings or aircraft crashes. In addition, service members who work in rugged or rural terrain may be attacked by wild predators, such as bears.

Exposure to Hazardous Substances

Military personnel are frequently exposed to hazardous substances during their service, leading to many serious health issues. In fact, exposure to chemicals, radiation, and environmental hazards is common in military settings. These exposures can cause immediate and long-term health problems such as respiratory illnesses, cancers, and other chronic diseases.

For example, veterans of the Gulf War have reported numerous health issues related to their exposure to oil well fires, depleted uranium, and chemical agents. These hazards don’t disappear once members of the military leave the battleground or service; they can affect their health for years, even decades, after exposure.

Public Health Risks

Public health risks are also a major part of military service. During the pandemic, many men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces were sent to COVID-19 hot spots to work directly in hospitals overcrowded with cases. Doing so put them and their families at an extremely high risk of contracting the coronavirus. This was particularly dangerous before COVID-19 vaccines became available.

Psychological Stress and Mental Health Challenges

The psychological toll of military service extends far beyond the battlefield. Marine Corps members and members of other military branches endure chronic and extreme stress, which can lead to mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. 

Relocation

Serving in the U.S. Armed Forces often means relocating frequently, which causes stress to everyone in a household. Spouses in particular face the stress of having to find adequate employment in each new location, sometimes having to reinvent themselves to procure the jobs available at or near the new duty station or base. The uncertainty around a military spouse’s gainful employment can cause financial and psychological stress for the entire household.

In addition, each time a service member is ordered to relocate with their family, their entire household moves away from their existing human support system and builds a new one. When military enlistees must be separated from their families, they may have to miss important events in their children’s and spouse’s lives. They may feel isolated and somewhat less in control over both their own future and their family’s.

All of this can take an emotional toll on military members and their families, and chronic stress can lead to many serious physical health problems as well.

Lack of Experience and Proper Training

Enlisted troop members are often quite young, with some at their first duty stations. These individuals can sometimes be placed in roles and career fields for which they aren’t adequately prepared, skilled, or suited. They may also be placed in these situations in a new country, far from family, friends, and mental health resources.

Administrative and Career Conflicts

Life in the military can also come with high stress levels related to administrative and bureaucratic challenges. Promotions in the military work differently from those in the civilian world. Due to the nature of career advancement requirements, service members sometimes experience pressure to make job or career choices they might otherwise not have chosen. 

Financial Perils and Sacrifices

Compensation-Related Hardship

Pay can be a major issue in the military, since the salaries of enlisted personnel aren’t always consistent or comparable to those of their civilian counterparts, and a considerable portion of military families qualify for and rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

High Relocation and Housing Costs

Adequate housing is another financial (and mental health) stressor for military families. The military housing allowance is intended to cover rent and utilities in each location. However, it is often not enough to cover the cost of relocating or renting a home in regions and cities with higher costs of living. This is particularly true for families with children seeking housing in safe neighborhoods, so they may end up paying the difference out of their own pockets. 

This, paired with the fact that service members experience frequent relocation orders, can quickly deplete household income and savings. This is especially true in light of the financial instability that can result from uncertainty around a military spouse’s ability to procure adequate and gainful employment in each new location.

Members of the Marine Corps, Navy Corps, and federal law enforcement face numerous dangers outside of combat situations that can have profound effects on their health and well-being as well as those of their families. By understanding and addressing these risks, we can better support those who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting others.

Support Military Families With MC-LEF

Since its inception in 1995, the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation (MC-LEF) has provided $35,000.00 in educational accounts and humanitarian assistance to the families of active duty fallen United States Marines, Navy Corpsmen, and Federal Law Enforcement Agents. To date, MC-LEF has awarded over $93 million in educational accounts and other humanitarian assistance to over 6,000 recipients. Contact us to learn more!

All MC-LEF officers and board members are volunteers; we have only one paid employee. We pride ourselves on running our organization as cost-effectively as possible so that over 90% of our donor funds can be used to accomplish our mission of educating the children of those who sacrificed all. Please consider donating today!