By this point, you might be wondering, and possibly feeling guilty about wondering, why Brannan doesn’t just get divorced. And she would tell you openly that she’s thought about it. “Everyone has thought about it,” she says. And a lot of Kateri’s eight-year-old son now counts the exits in new spaces he enters, and points them out to his loved ones until war or fire fails to break out, and everyone is safely back home. 

Illustrative Claim: The passage utilizes illustrative claims to describe the son counting exits and the thoughts Brannan has about getting divorced. These descriptions aim to evoke sympathy and provide a vivid picture of the situation.

In the wake of Vietnam, 38 percent of marriages failed within the first six months of a veteran’s return stateside; the divorce rate was twice as high for vets with PTSD as for those without. Vietnam vets with severe PTSD are 69 percent more likely to have their marriages fail than other vets. Army records also show that 65 percent of active-duty suicides, which now outpace combat deaths, are precipitated by broken relationships. And veterans, well, one of them dies by suicide every 80 minutes. But even ignoring that though vets make up 7 percent of the United States, they account for 20 percent of its suicides —or that children and teenagers of a parent who’s committed suicide are three times more likely to kill themselves, too—or a whole bunch of equally grim statistics, Brannan’s got her reasons for sticking it out with Caleb.

Quantitative or Numerical Claim: The passage includes quantitative or numerical claims in various statistics, such as divorce rates, suicide rates, and the percentage of veterans in the United States.

“I love him,” she says.

Ethical or Moral Claim: The statement “I love him” reflects an ethical claim based on emotional and moral considerations.

Brannan fully supports any wife—who feels that she or her children are in danger, or in an untenable mental-health environment, or for whatever reason—who decides to leave. She’s here, through Family of a Vet, to help those people. But she’s also there for those FOV users who, like her, have decided to stay. “I have enormous respect for Caleb,” she explains if you ask her why. “He has never stopped fighting for this family. Now, we’ve had little breaks from therapy, but he never stopped going to therapy. I love him,” she repeats, defensively at times.

Credibility Claim: While not explicitly stated, there’s an implicit credibility claim in Brannan’s endorsement of her husband’s commitment to therapy. Her respect for Caleb serves as a form of credibility in supporting her decision to stay.

He is her friend, and her first love, and her rock, and her lifeline, her blossoming young daughter’s father, her ally, and her hero, she tells Caleb when he asks. Because the person who most often asks Brannan why she stays with her husband is her husband.

Evaluative Claim: The passage includes evaluative claims in the descriptions of Caleb’s roles in Brannan’s life, such as being a friend, first love, rock, lifeline, father, ally, and hero. These are subjective judgments about Caleb’s significance to Brannan.