It’s not enough that soldiers risk their lives to protect and defend their country; now, they have to worry about losing their homes, too. According to an article by Bloomberg, mortgage defaults have become an alarming trend in towns populated mostly by soldiers and their families, with foreclosures shooting up at a rate that’s quadruple the national average.

A major culprit? Subprime loans and the lure of their low, initial interest rates attracted thousands of military families, many of whom were ideal targets of subprime mortgages because of their poor credit scores, frequent moves, and low incomes. And as interest rates climbed higher and higher over the years, the monthly rate for subprime mortgages rose as well, trapping servicemen and their families into mortgage commitments that they could no longer keep up with.

And although the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act was designed to help servicemen avoid foreclosure caused by unpaid mortgage bills, the act itself protects only those who are on active duty. Even then, the grace period for settling all the paperwork lasts for only 90 days after the soldiers or sailors come back from service; hardly enough time to fix all the snarls, insist some Congressmen, a number of whom are already rallying for a year-long extension for members of the military.

More important than the wrangling at Congress, however, is the welfare of U.S. servicemen. “We fought for our country, and now we have to fight to save our homes,” said laments Iraq war veteran Monique Kelly. “After living with the stench of death in Iraq, it seems like we shouldn’t have to face problems like this when we come back.”