“By this point, you might be wondering, and possibly feeling guilty about wondering, why Brannan doesn’t just get divorced.”

This first sentence is an ethical claim. The author is questioning the morals or opinions of the reader for “possibly feeling guilty.” The author proposes the idea of Branna getting a divorce could make it a proposal claim as well.  

“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.”

This section contains mainly factual and numeric claims. The author is giving indisputable facts with evidence that can be measured with percentage and time. There are also casual claims, such as the author pointing out that because one partner went to war and had PTSD, their marriages were more likely to fail. There could also be a comparative claim, in comparing the harsher outcomes of one veteran to the other. 

“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.”

These are more factual numeric claims. It is also a moral claim, bringing into question these “grim statistics” with Branna’s choice in staying with Caleb. 

“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.”

This is a moral and evaluative claim. Branna is expressing her empathy with the moral choices of other wives while evaluating that some situations can be worse than hers. 

 “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.

This is a causal and evaluative claim. Because of therapy and Caleb’s will, Branna has evaluated her situation and decided that she is better off staying with him. 

“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.”

This is a categorical claim. The author is listing the different attributes Branna gives to her husband.