The Combat Itch: A Research Study on the Desire to Return to Combat in American Military Service Members Who Engaged in Combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts

Researchers have focused specifically on military veterans' desire to return to combat. The current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have provided a unique opportunity for such research as they are the first conflicts to include an operation schedule for combat deployments and noncombat rest time, and because advances in protective equipment and the medical field have lent themselves to a lower ratio of killed to wounded than in previous combat engagements. Method: This qualitative study sought to examine the motivation to return to combat in military members who have served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Six participants (five male and one female) were interviewed. Participants were veterans who experienced a desire to return to a combat deployment. The results indicated three triggers to the desire to return to combat. Those included losing a loved one to the war, experiencing an unwanted negative emotion, and relating with other veterans. Additionally, the motivations to return to combat were found to include comradery, revenge, simplicity, the adrenaline rush, and the desire to contribute.