War Veterans Feeling Stressed, Deserted (CBS News)

[Up2Late]

("According to a recent report from the Veterans Administration, more than 50,000 vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to be suffering from mental health problems — nearly half of them from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD" (This is very bad!))

Jul 12, 2006 6:45 pm US/Central

War Veterans Feeling Stressed, Deserted

Men At One Base Say The Army Is Ignoring PTSD Cases

(CBS News) FORT CARSON, Colo. According to a recent report from the Veterans Administration, more than 50,000 vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to be suffering from mental health problems — nearly half of them from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. It's well documented and, says the Pentagon, well treated both in the field and at home. But CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports that at least in one large military base in Colorado, soldiers are saying members of the Army Command are simply paying lip service, at best, to PTSD — hindering their treatment and upending their careers.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Fort Carson, Colo., is training to go back to Iraq after experiencing some of the fiercest combat last year. The unit lost soldiers at double the rate of other Army posts around the country, including Pfc. Sam Lee, who committed suicide at a Ramadi Army barracks.

(clip)

In the face of what some are calling an epidemic of PTSD in the military, nearly a dozen soldiers at Fort Carson told CBS News that their cries for mental health either went unanswered or they found themselves subject to unrelenting abuse and ridicule.

Kaye Baron is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Colorado Springs, Colo. Each week, she counsels up to 25 "emotionally broken" soldiers who are either unwilling or unable to face their problems while on base.

(more at link) <http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/topstories_story_193204627.html>

[AnnieBW]

1. Support Our Troops!

Where are all of those a-holes with the magnetic "Support our troops" ribbons when they come home with PSTD?

[midnight]

22. Those a-holes are about to recommend taxing the soldiers

and americans who are lucky enough to have health care on their health care benefits. When I read that today, I thought about the people in this country that can barely pay for their health care, and about the soldiers who need these benefits for the PTSD. They just can't seem to be able to make the bills since spending all the money on this war.

[TomInTib]

2. And I would add myself to that list and I am in my mid-50s.

A couple of weeks ago I was having a drink with a friend who, like myself, is ex-Special Forces.

We both were on extraction teams in SE Asia and neither of us have ever had a moment of stress-related problems. We were trained to compartmentalize the carnage and horrors that we encountered (and caused).

Both of us have lately felt that we are losing our minds.
Really emotional moments, mentally just skipping out at times.

And I will bet that the two of us are by no means alone.

[Auntie Bush]

4. I'm sorry! I hope you and your friend get some help. God knows

you deserve it! Voting the bastards out of office might help in a small way. Seeing them gone... and a Democrat in office that will really support the troops... will help in a big way.

[TomInTib]

6. Thank you.

We have formed a two-man support group.

Once each of us discovered that we were not going individually insane, it became a lot easier to handle.

Neither of us is the type to seek "help" for anything. Just understanding what the obstacle is proves paramount. We can handle anything that comes up as long as we can recognize the problem.

[littlebit]

21. It is not that uncommon

My father didnt start having problems until about a year ago.

[Up2Late]

7. It's very understandable, because nothing makes any sense anymore.

With this "government" telling us "Bad=Good" "Up=Down" "Wrong=Right," it's like the old training means nothing anymore.

All I can say is, Sorry man, I think I speak for most of us here at DU in saying that, we are trying to help you guys in every way we can think of, but "they" just aren't listening.

Hang in there, this Bizarrow Government can't last forever. :grouphug:

Thank you for doing your part. :patriot:

[TomInTib]

9. It is so weird...

I did 3 tours, '69-'72.

I was Navy SEAL attached to the 2nd Marine.

Longrange recon, extraction, and river patrol.

When 'Apocolypse Now' came out, a few of my buddies and I forced ourselves to go see it because it was (surreally) about what we did.
Nothing. No response. No particular feelings.

A few weeks ago, we were scrolling thru the cable menu and saw the movie was underway (maybe 30 minutes in). My Canadian sweetheart wanted to see it so she could (cinematically, at least) see what I did.

I lasted less than 5 minutes.

[Just Me]

13. You're not alone. Compartmenalization or rationalization breaks down,...

,...over time. Unfortunately, that sort of brainwashing leads to cathartic chisms,...like, shake-ups of the humanity you buried. All I can advise is objectifying that life and self-forgiveness. :cry: I know it's painful. But, objectify and forgive so you can be,...the best you.

[Monkeyman]

14. 9-11 Iraq my nightmares came back

PTSD is hell and its never goes away fully

[TomInTib]

16. Well, that's 3 of us, Brother

I just know this is raising Hell with a bunch of us.

This ain't the ticket I thought I was buying. I am too old for this shit.

Really, it's not that I am too old. Just too tired and slow. And pissed-off and sad - all at the same time.

[CoffeeCat]

11. It sounds like you are being "triggered."

I have PTSD, due to childhood abuse. I was told that my PTSD is similar to a soldier who had been on the battlefield. I also "compartmentalized" the trauma, and went on to have a very happy childhood filled with loads of activities and friends. I buried everything to survive--and it sounds like we both stuffed it down in order to survive and live full lives.

I've been in therapy and have been doing really well. However, when I read a story about abuse or hear a survivor on television describe abuse--I get triggered. I get "emotional flashbacks." At first, I thought I was coming unglued, or in a really bad mood or getting depressed. In fact, these environmental triggers were stoking the memories and feelings that I had set aside.

I imagine that this is what is happening to you, too...don't you think? I imagine that many Veterans feel this way about the Iraq war. This war parallels Vietnam in so many ways. It's all over the news 24/7. Furthermore, you understand what those soldiers are enduring. When you feel outrage and compassion for their circumstances, those feelings come from your own experiences. That can stoke some powerful memories/emotions.

As the Iraq war heats up and becomes more chaotic--and the horror stories are becoming more public--it's probably natural that you would get "triggered" by all of this.

I have never been to war. However, I can understand why our current times would be challenging and triggering to you. I do understand how rough triggers can be. You feel like you're falling apart, but really--you're falling back together.

Being "triggered" means that your mind is releasing some stuff that it wants to release. You only release when you're strong and ready. Maybe it's your time to process some stuff, and let your mind rest. You deserve it. You served your country honorably and well. Thank you--so much--for your service and for the sacrifices you made.

Take care of you. :)

[TomInTib]

12. That's it.

Catch you later.

Thank you so much.

Tom

[AlwaysQuestion]

3. Sad, but not unexpected

I'm just surprised they're not all stressed out. We're doing some rotten things over there and as far as I'm concerned there are only two ways to react. You get tough as nails and lose your humanness or you succumb to your humanness and stress out. I wish the whole lot of them would rebel en masse and say enough is enough, get us the hell out of here. That would be the courageous move to make. Since Bushco is benefitting the most, let the blaggard and his buddies go over and get the job done. (Sorry, I was in la-la land for a second.)

As for how those are being treated now that they're out of the obscene theatre of war, what's the news? Why would anyone expect the very government who initiated an illegal war turn around and give their warring lads and lasses the medical attention they need. Hell, that would cut into the monies Bushco needs to keep the war going. As for the veterans being ridiculed I would imagine much of that is coming from their peers. That's also the norm. That's a given. Watch this forum for instance--or any forum--or any meeting. Step out of the "accepted norm" (whatever that is for any particular group) and an army of peers form to keep the "odd" guys in line. It's fun to watch, although not always fun to be the subject. In any event, the powers that be count on the rank and file to police themselves and the rank and file never disappoint. We're all subject to this from time to time and some of us will even fight against it if our viewpoint is profoundly felt. More often than not, though, we simply fall in. I think it's part of the crowd mentality thing.

I feel so very sorry for the youngsters (and that's what most of them are--barely out of puberty) who are "over there" and those who have returned. It's a nasty, dirty, filthy, obscene, wretched thing that we foist on our young ones. We as adults bear responsibility for allowing this to happen. I want to hang from the nearest tree those parents I hear saying how proud they are of their youngsters for going to war for their country. How utterly ignorant. And now that Canada is proudly in the forefront in Afghanistan, we hear the parents saying the same thing here. What jerks!! I would be really interested to find out what percentage of youngsters who've been brought up in progressive homes join the military. There must be some research on this. I would hope a very small percentage. Maybe I fear the answer so haven't checked it out.

[Monkeyman]

5. About 30,000 in Iraq on meds

But Fox News calls that a lie hmmmm They don't read do they six news stories about just that

[brentspeak]

8. Who are the knuckleheads who are ridiculing these soldiers at Ft.Carson?

[Up2Late]

17. Same type who FRONTLINE showed in "A Soldiers Heart"

I can't say that I recommend this show for anyone with PTSD, it VERY Good, but VERY hard to watch, even for people without PTSD. If you still have human emotions, this show will be hard to watch, but it's worth it.

Here are the links to the online video and website:

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/>

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/view/>

Introduction:
March 1, 2005

U.S. Marine Rob Sarra had been in the military for eight years when the war in Iraq began. A sergeant in charge of a unit of 32, he was considered part of the "tip of the spear" -- among the first troops to reach Baghdad. In late March 2003, Sarra opened fire on an Iraqi woman in a black burqa he suspected was a suicide bomber, prompting others in his unit...

(more at link) <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/etc/synopsis.html>

[Just Me]

10. 50,000 touches ten more, and they ripple across humanity. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

15. Unlike Vietnam, these guys keep going back to Iraq because they have to

not because they want to.

Today, Davis, like Jennings, has seen a once-promising career upended. Demoted to private for drug abuse — something experts say is a common coping mechanism for those suffering from the disorder — both face dishonorable discharges.

Both were forced to seek treatment off-base and have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Like many soldiers, they feel deserted by the Army they once so proudly served.

What a shit deal!

[saigon68]

19. Welcome to the world of the REAL

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. Maybe the good folks on the hate DU sites will lend them a hand.

Sure.

[Up2Late]

20. kick n/t

:kick:

[Megahurtz]

23. Horrible.

And yet they keep sending them back for more trauma while they have PTSD.

All for what?
A bogus fucking oil war?

You're right. This is really, really, bad.

[jazzjunkysue]

24. Stay the Course!

If we stop now, the terrorists win! Like, if we stop looking for Osama Bin Laden.

Opps. I forgot. We already stopped looking for him.