Is infidelity an emotional war wound? (+video)
Rebecca Sinclair, the wife of a high-ranking US general who had an affair, said in an interview that military marriages suffered from the protracted US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The wife of a U.S. Army general facing adultery and sex charges said on Monday military marriages have suffered from the extended U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and described infidelity as an emotional war wound that gets overlooked.
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In an interview with Reuters, Rebecca Sinclair said she was hurt to learn of her husband Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair's affair with a subordinate, which led to charges against him for more than two dozen military law violations.
But as the conduct of other U.S. generals is called into question - including that of retired Army General David Petraeus, who on Nov. 9 quit his CIA director's post over an affair - Rebecca Sinclair said she felt compelled to speak out.
"I'm not looking to excuse the behavior," she said. "I'm not trying to say that infidelity is okay. What I'm trying to say is I can see how it happens."
Sinclair said that since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, frequent deployments with little time home in between have put strain on soldiers and their families.
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