Sense Sonnet - Steamer

Salted Wounds

My second tour in Iraq,
And so far I'm still in one piece.
Each time that I'm under attack,
I know that the odds do increase
That I'll be wounded, maybe dead.
A buddy of mine was hit bad -
Needed lots of good care ahead.
But the VA hoops made him mad,
And he committed suicide.
Would it have been better for him,
If when wounded here, he just died?
The prospects for wounded sound grim.

My buddy went home in bad shape.
Was his real cause of death, red tape?