Dark Hour

[The Straight Story]

Dark Hour

After nine years of war, the Army is grappling with growing rates of suicide, crime and drug abuse in the ranks.

Army Spec. Joseph Saunders was serving a tour in Iraq when his wife told him she wanted a divorce. He was floored. Pulling guard duty six hours on, six hours off, he had a lot of time to brood about his future. His friends worried about him. Alone and overwhelmed with grief one day, Saunders grabbed his rifle, put it on semiautomatic, placed the barrel under his chin and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Stunned, he went into what he calls "soldier mode" and started disassembling his rifle to find the problem - a missing firing pin. He soon learned that another soldier, fearing Saunders might try to kill himself, had removed the pin.

Saunders is one of thousands of military men and women who have attempted suicide in recent years. In 2009 alone, Army data show at least 1,713 active-duty soldiers, probably more, tried to end their lives; 162 succeeded (include reservists, and the figure rises to 239). Thousands more engage in what the Army terms "high-risk" behavior - drinking excessively, abusing prescription narcotics and illegal drugs - that threatens to spin out of control, rendering soldiers a danger to themselves and those around them.

http://www.govexec.com/features/1010-01/1010-01s2.htm

[Overseas]

1. Sad K&R. //nt

[Horse with no Name]

2. I have a story to share one day about this

but it will be a very long time before I am able.

We have destroyed so many promising lives and the sad news is...we aren't done. K&R.

[The Straight Story]

3. I wanted to post this on FB - but not sure I want my son/daughter-in-law to see it

He is deployed, she is at home alone with 3 kids under 5 - so she is having a tough time. He is missing them and is out of communication with them a lot (I have not heard from him for a few days, which is to be expected of course, but as much as I worry I am sure his wife is ten times as stressed).

I felt it could stress them more on the one hand to read about this, or on the other give them some more options.

THEN I read this:

Army can't track mental health records of deployed soldiers

Between 20 percent and 30 percent of troops who have served combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from mental health problems, but a Nextgov investigation shows the Army currently has no way to consistently track the mental health status of soldiers deployed to the two countries and the service finds itself overwhelmed by paper records.

An internal message sent Jan. 11 from the Army Office of the Surgeon General obtained by Nextgov said Army units in the U.S. Central Command Area of Operations, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan, have become "saturated" with paper behavioral health records because mental health providers who treat these soldiers are not entering data into the theater electronic health record known as AHLTA-T.

What's more, the Army does not have a system to scan and code these paper records to support search and retrieval from the Defense Department electronic heath record, Nextgov discovered.

This has serious implications for troops who seek follow-up mental health care when they return from deployment. The message noted, "As a result, soldiers returning from deployment are experiencing delays with continued health care and/or filing medical claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs."

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110303_5243.php?oref=topnews

I hope he not only makes it home in one piece, but that he and his wife/kids (who don't understand why daddy is not home) don't suffer any long term mental effects.

[Horse with no Name]

4. I understand. Keep it out of her eyesight. She doesn't need to read it.

:hug:

[whathehell]

6. Soldiers/ Iraq/Afghan Vets need not wait for the VA to receive low cost mental health services

and this is a link to a range of free or low cost counseling services being offered to them.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=free+mental+health+service+to+soldiers+veterans&form=HPDTDF&pc=HPDTDF&src=IE-SearchBox

Two others I know of and have been in contact with are Wounded Warrior Project and Give an Hour. Both employ

professional volunteer psychologists/mental health professionals to deal with the great need out there.

All best wishes for your family.

[classof56]

5. I too have a sad story, but the telling of it breaks my heart.

I wasn't directly affected, but a family member was, and the horror and sadness is unfathomable. Far too many lives have been and will continue to be destroyed. At least it seems more and more of our citizens are asking what it's all been about, these stupid, pointless wars.

May they end soon, for all our sakes.

[MedleyMisty]

7. Am I a bad person?

Because when I read stuff like this, and about the Iraqi protesters who were shot and killed....

I remember people I knew online who wanted the wars. Who wanted to attack other countries and wanted people to die and enjoyed the thought of it.

And I want to take stories like this and go back and shove it in their faces and ask them how they sleep at night with all this blood on their soul, if all this pain and misery and death is worth their getting their "USA #1 kill them brown people!" on.

I really really really hate some of my fellow humans. But I'm not sure that "human" is a word one can use to describe them, really.