PTSD is not readiness. It is completely unacceptable for soldiers to go into war KNOWING more than 12 percent will be coming home with PTSD. The USA military has a lot of work to do before it can be considered READY.
June 30, 2004
The Army’s first study (click here) of the mental health of troops who fought in Iraq found that about one in eight reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The survey also showed that less than half of those with problems
sought help, mostly out of fear of being stigmatized or hurting their
careers.June 30, 2004
The Army’s first study (click here) of the mental health of troops who fought in Iraq found that about one in eight reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The survey of Army and Marine combat units was conducted a few months after their return from Iraq or Afghanistan last year. Most studies of past wars’ effects on mental health were done years later, making it difficult to compare the latest results with those from the Vietnam or Persian Gulf wars, said Dr. Charles W. Hoge, one of the researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
Of particular concern, he said, is that troops with problems are not seeking care.
“The most important thing we can do for service members who have been in combat is to help them understand that the earlier that they get help when they need it, the better off they’ll be,” Hoge said.
The study is published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine....
How much can the USA count on paying veterans disability? Why should the American people accept the fact so many of it's returning soldiers are doing so handicapped? Readiness? Where? Riding the F35 Strike Fighter?
I don't want to hear the only US military are drones.
May 28, 2012
By Marilynn Marchione
America's newest veterans (click here) are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
A staggering 45% of the 1.6 million veterans from
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for
injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the
estimate of 21% who filed such claims after the Gulf War in the early 1990s, top government officials told the Associated Press.
What's
more, these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments on
average, and the most recent ones over the last year are claiming 11 to
14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans are currently receiving compensation
for fewer than four, on average, and those from World War II and Korea just two.
It's
unclear how much worse off these new veterans are than their
predecessors. Many factors are driving the dramatic increase in claims —
the weak economy, more troops surviving wounds, and more awareness of
problems such as concussions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Almost one-third have been granted disability so far....
A U.S. Army soldier looks over the blood spattered interior of a U.S.
Marines Humvee vehicle, which was destroyed by a bomb in Baghdad June
29.
A U.S. Army soldier looks over the blood spattered interior of a U.S.
Marines Humvee vehicle, which was destroyed by a bomb in Baghdad June
29.
I don't think so.
Soldiers are not disposable to the whims of stupid war mongering idiots. When the USA touts it's greatness because of a high standard of living for all it's people; it is a blatant lie.
The next time a politician of any vernacular uses the USA military as a promise to a strong resolve by his candidacy, it is a lie and complete indifference to soldiers and their families. There ain't no way the USA is going to invade anything.
Soldiers are not disposable to the whims of stupid war mongering idiots. When the USA touts it's greatness because of a high standard of living for all it's people; it is a blatant lie.
The next time a politician of any vernacular uses the USA military as a promise to a strong resolve by his candidacy, it is a lie and complete indifference to soldiers and their families. There ain't no way the USA is going to invade anything.
