US Army worried about mental health of soldiers

The troops are so easy to abuse because, and injury to one of us IS an injury to us all! It's not just a trite phrase. This is why we have to stop racism. This is also why the powerful, can't let us stop racism. Because if we allow ONE person to be abused.....what is the problem of all the rest of us being abused? Where do you draw the line. Who gets to draw the line?

you sir, are very awesome.

yea, i'll buy that for a dollar.

how about this : agricultural surplus attracted the envy of those less fortunate - city states arose as a means for mutual minded people to defend themselves against their envious neighbors , and hence live longer - thus , "civilization " . agriculture and animal domestication were the catalysts , city states were the product . being "civilized " means being a practicing member of a "civilization " ... it goes without saying that as civilizations get bigger , they need more resources , and thus having a well equipped military to wage war with is how resources are obtained - in the best of times , peaceful trade flourishes - at the worst , goods are looted ... etc.

actually i'm pretty sure agriculture and domestication of animals began civilization.
huh.
however, read Hobbes "the life of man in the state of nature is nasty, brutish, and short"
war, is a part of society. now, granted. i really dislike it, however, it is a part of the anarchical system that is the international order. there is no alternative. and one is not likely to emerge to replace it.

"civilization " occurred because it was a military advantage - and the most civilized civilizations have been the best at being uncivilized . you may quote me on this .

no, war is pretty natural. however it still totally sucks.

I'm sorry. Did they think this war was going to be any different from other unwarranted war? If it doesn't get you physically, it'll get you mentally or both. War is inevitable because of man, but it isn't natural.

haha, to add another response. i spend most of my time worrying i'll end up like walter from "the big lebowski".
i'm not even a fucking citizen of this country, i daily question why i joined the army.

ah, also, dude this is the way the world works,
war, unfortunately, is a necessity.
i'm just glad i came back, there's a school of thought in international relations called "realism". and its pretty accurate. just be glad you didn't have to go.

firstly, that picture is GRIZZLED!
secondly, on friday i was diagnosed with PTSD.
so, thanks for the two tours assholes. yea, this is totally something to worry about.

( what icredulous said - except to add that vets of ww2 turned to drinking and valium to forget all the shit they went through - whereas todays vets are made to feel like "addicts" if they take anything for PTSD - as if the moral rightness of their sacrifice is compromised by needing prescription drugs to deal with it's aftermath - you have dipshit self righteous right wing religious freaks to thank for this - PTSD highlights the BS " crusade" mentality these idiots consider "god's work in the world " ... i'll vent more later .

WWII was more clearly about the ideals it purported to be defending--people were actually liberated from tyranny. For this war, which was never even officially declared a war, no liberation appears to be in sight, or at least not what the Iraqi people were promised. The only thing being liberated over there is the American dollar from the American purse.

American soldiers came home from WWII respected and were well taken care of. The benefits the government gave its returning soldiers were real benefits, not pretend benefits. In many ways, the middle class emerged from the generous benefits the government extended to returning WWII soldiers. Generous education and housing benefits helped to build the lives of those who returned from WWII, and they in turn built much of the infrastructure of the US that we now take for granted.

He cares enough to keep them there. Another thing though was the percentage so high after World War 2. I wonder this because that war really should have messed up alot of people.

how much does bush care about the 4000+ dead americans?

how in the fuck can they say with any trace of sincerity that they are worried about these people? when you ship off a bunch of young men to kill and possibly die, what do you think is going to happen? how can they be worried about the mental stability of a boy they sent to the front lines to die? if the bush administration cared about human life at all, things would be very different. but this is what we are left with. thrown away by those who promised a great time in brotherhood and honor, fighting the good fight. they have seen true horror behind these words. they have lost and perpetuated loss for others. these young men have seen the worst of human nature again and again and again, and they have participated. they must be tired and broken. that is how i feel as an american. tired and broken. i am so proud of these men, but i want them all home. every single one. they have givin so much, and all for nought it would seem. the political agenda is not worth these mens lives. if politics have forgotten them, the people have not. i love you all.

Despite what they may say, the military does NOT do enough to help the troops when they come back. In fact, they do very little to help troops readjust to civilian life.

yes, but apparently a simple yellow ribbon sticker on your big fat SUV, or an american flag on your shirt will mean you "support the troops".
but wanting to bring them home doesn't?
There should be expansion Veteran Hospitals Stat!
and all this pain and suffering for OIL!

even those that did not deploy and instead faught the "war on terror" from the U.S. are hurting. they need to see professionals. seriously, they do. can you imagine what things will be like when they're back home? trigger happy. mentally unstable. unable to function with civilians. i've heard of too many people freaking out and seeing flashes of themselves dying and just breaking down from this PTSD. breaks my heart.

My heart goes out to these battered troops. I say we put an end to this war.

They're only worried because if everyone is crazy they can't very well run the war machine.

Sad. PTSD is a serious problem.

These troops are being battered and abused, most of them probably don't even support the cause of the war effort, which would cause them to have an even harder emotional time, every kill would be weighing at least twice as much on their conscience, that is, if they're even left with a conscience. I also can't imagine the families at home, their husbands and fathers keep coming home after a long time at war, and then they get taken away before the family can even get to know him again.

We still have strings of homeless vets from Vietnam - check any city with street people or shelters. The gov will do the same with the newest crop of 'damaged goods' as they seem to see them, and try to ignore them as long as possible.

I'm hoping that citizen groups form to help these brave young folks when they get home - the military could care less.

Meanwhile, invest in companies that make prosthetic arms and legs - the stock will certainly rise there. Very sad.

self-serving rhetoric ... blaming others ... taking the money and leaving the building ... ayup ... that pretty much sums up why frustration is so high ... well that an an uneasy feeling that we can't fix the problem

"support our troops" , coming from Bush , means "support my war " ... and is a very clever bit of oratory - because if the war goes awry ( it has , of course already) , Bush can just say the public failed to support the troops , or the troops themselves failed , or congress bungled it , etc. ... "support our troops" ... i'm so fucking sick of the phrase i'm ready to become an anarchist . what will it take for guys to get proper treatment ? i challenge all the corporations who've profited from this war to pitch in and help establish health/ counseling centers or to contribute to existing ones - or maybe this would amount to admitting their guilt ?

War and romantisism. Where are we getting this stuff? You folks might consider how your life is going to be effected by having these men and women coming back to your community after Cheney/Bush get through abusing them!

Aftercare facilities in the US need to be overhauled if these soldiers are to have any form of peace in their lives upon returning home.

I too am very worried about the mental health of those serving in Iraq. bring them home NOW and give them all of the medical assistance they need.

John was a door gunner in Viet Nam. He lived with chronic pain from wounds and other injuries sustained while deployed. He fought the VA for help for 15 years. They found him in a swamp with a shotgun in his mouth. He was my friend and I could not help him.

Your friend, father, brother, husband or son may be next.

This is for all those people who claim to "Support the troops." The word "support" indicates to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction.

True support of the people that selflessly fight for our country would NOT be ignoring the mental anguish and aftermath of combat.

Here in the state of Minnesota, the house just passed a bill to spend close to 1 million dollars on renovating the cages for the gorillas in one of the local zoos. Meanwhile the Vet's home in Minneapolis is in desperate need of renovation.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate for the gorillas at the zoo too, but as this story points out, I think we have our priorites out-of-wack when it comes to really "supporting the troops".

take ground troops out - let Iraq partition itself , which will lead to "insurgents" congregating in greater numbers (whereas they have the advantage of being guerillas now mixed into the civi population ) , and then conduct air strikes ... war via air is looked upon as under handed these days - marching armies into a place is still viewed as more " fair" or "humane " - but i can't see any other military means to end this crap . the demand is for the quickest end game possible , but that's not on the table - this "war" won't be ending with the passing of Bush from the scene - it won't end quickly - if this whole thing is about bringing "peace to the east" ( whatever ) , then only a very long term view is realistic - bleeding ground troops to death over 40 years ( or however long the current forecast is from the generals ) isn't going to do it - so you play a feint , you create the illusion of giving in now only to attack harder later , and in a different way ... i'm sure the geniuses have already thought all this out but politics keeps getting in the way , ho hum .

I fear we're going to have a new string of homeless vets if something is not done.

The first time I saw "Full Metal Jacket" was actually a few months ago and to get an idea of what war is like without all the romanticism turned my stomach a bit. You start to understand that these soldiers are giving their all, and for nothing. It's time we give back to them with therapy, psychiatrists and all that they need to ease back into society the best they can.

Post-Traumatic stress disorder is probably just the slightest of problems these soldiers are going to have to face. Can you imagine the effect that this is going to have on them long-term? Not to mention the ability to maintain a structural life after the war with their wives and children. I feel sorry for them. Most had no idea what they had signed up for.( With the stop-loss being secretly planted in their contracts.) So many young men and women's lives are going to be ruined because of this stupid war... but our president doesn't care....he doesn't have to deal with them or their children. He doesn't have to look into that husband or wife's eyes and explain to them that he's sorry for anything. He just sits back with that smirky grin and lives selfishly happily.

It definitely is about time! How many deployments to you suppose it takes in that environment to destroy a mind.

It about time! Where have they been?