Many soldiers suffer PTSD and can experience nightmares or anxiety because of it. some soldiers act cold when they return home or more distant than they once were. its common for soldiers to feel more on edge and lack being vulnerable.
Honestly, the government probably didn't want to deal with the protests and hunger strikes and all of that anymore. It had gone on for decades. This was long enough for some government officials to be swayed to allow for them to vote. In the end, people realized it wasn't right to deny an american a right which had long alluded them.
