Nothing empirical for you yet, but one TV station has reported that soldiers returning from Iraq are experiencing a high rate of divorce. Here’s the report from WHAM TV-13 in Rochester, NY. The report says that 20% of married soldiers returning from Iraq divorce their spouses when they get home.
The report traces the high divorce rate to unrealistic expectations of both spouses built up over long-term separation, coupled with the difficulty re-adjusting to the change that has occurred in both spouses’ roles while they were apart. The report says that the military is so aware of the phenomenon that it is paying for romantic vacations for returning soldiers so they can become reacquainted with their spouse.