Post-War Vet Suicides May Exceed Combat Deaths

Would someone please interview a group of Iraq war vets to determine if the usage of drugs to regulate "combat effectiveness" causes them long-term emotional distress? I have heard from some soldiers of their access to meds to "make them more alert" for combat patrols and to "bring them down again" during down time. Many have reported sleeping disorders and aggression issues. Where does PTSD begin and drug dependency end? Is the military guilty of providing these drugs, or are they just indifferent to their usage? Could this be one factor of so many suicides?

It is sad, we need to stand by our soldiers becasue they are the real Heros, not some football player who only looses a few dollars if he misses a kick or other celebrity!

I think the number of suicides is extremely exaggerated though by the hate America group.

But I do agree knowing what was done under the Democrats reigns in office since FDR with using untested drugs on our soldiers their needs to be a full investigation into it.

Going to Iraq should not need as many drugs as was needed in Vietnam or other jungle areas.

Instead of Drugs the congress should give money for protective gear and detection equipment!

It hardly makes sense for people to complain about the war if these same complaining people are willing to benefit from living in the United States and to use oil that doesn't belong to them, drive cars bought on credit, have electric, and the like, because these very same soldiers are out there defending their way of life, the American way of life.

A very small few are paying the price for you and I to enjoy the luxury of the American life.

The blood and the minds of all who died, both American and Iraqi, and others are on our hands.

The papers should read a human being killed another human being today; not as they do: Four Americans were killed today, or four insurgents were killed by American soldiers.

These labels dehumanize the entire fact that humans are killing other humans under the orders of a government who had the PEOPLE in the US elect him.

People put the president into office. People RE-ELECTED this very same president. People elected the members of congress who gave this president authority over this matter.

It surely isn't Bush's fault alone, it is the fault of those who elected him, those who gave him authority, and so forth.

I am thankful beyond measure for the soldiers, under orders by their government, who are sacrificing their lives, health, and families for me.

Seems like we can't finish one mess before we start more sabre rattling.

Hillary goes around saying we will OBLITHERATE Iran. She thinks we need to go back to Cold War strategy. The Cold War included a military comprised of DRAFTED young men. Of course, Bill avoided that by a quick trip to Canada.

The circus of Clinton's campaign with statements like this and her Bosnia sniper fire are making a mockery of this country's military. Then she goes on Jay Leno and just laughs off the Bosnia lie.

That just can't have a positive affect on the already worn out men and women with repeated tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now this is what we should be worried about. Not the stupid gas tax holiday or preachers or fake Bosnia stories.

This is real people and with the troup rotation there is way too much on these young men and women.

Belle:

Thanks for the clarification! Looks like we agree on something (besides that Edwards should have stayed in the race)!

That's why the Republicans are scared to death of a draft!!! Unfortunately, our military men and women have suffered the most (along with the Iraqi people).

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

We never take care of our vets and the vacination's some are not even FDA aproved my son has his blood taken every six months and has had many problems since the first gulf war he refuses to go to the VA because it is in bad shape and to see a Dr. can take all day. He has his own insurance.thank god I have heard there are nearly seven thousand suicides.

Jackt51 writes:
"Belle, could you explain this comment?"

What part of it possibly requires an explanation? Why wait around to have your legs blown off, when what you signed up for was some weekend camaraderie and to defend the State of Iowa?

I'd tell him to get OUT of there, Jack.

ESPECIALLY if he isn't thinking clearly. The Congress wasn't thinking so clearly when they let Dub kidnap the National Guard from the states, instead of instituting a draft.

If there WERE a draft, the criminal assault on Iraq would have ended long ago.

Belle Starr said:
"If he were MY brother, I think I'd counsel him to borrow a burqa and head for Sweden."

Belle, could you explain this comment?

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

"It's quite possible that the suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war could trump the combat deaths."

And it's quite possible that monkeys might emerge from my posterior and do aerial acrobatics. Possible, but certainly not likely.

It takes as little as 30 days and never more than 60 days of full-time combat to stress a soldier into a PSTD state - whether they come back out of it OK is *solely* dependent how regularly they receive R&R and medical attention, and how short or limited the repeat tours are.

The only soldiers who do not have this problem are those that are diagnosable as psychopathic or sociopathic! This comes directly from US Army research and operating manuals!!

Asymmetric combat *is* 24x7, full-time combat therefore pretty much *all* soldiers are into PSTD territory in this war. Add to the fact that this is probably the worst ever PSTD scenario because it's the most asymmetric conflict since Vietname or the Filipino-American war.

We've summarily applied stop-loss and repeat tours that in direct violation of scientifically proven anti-PSTD operating procedures it's hardly surprising that suicides and PSTD are observed and predicted to reach catastrophic levels.

There have been many atrocities in this war; this happens to be one committed against our own troops.

Becky writes:
"My brother is Iowa National Guard, he is not the same.
Sometimes I think all the shots they had to have before leaving is not helping with this. They had to have shots to keep their bodies cool because of the heat, shots for amtheraxe (not sure the spelling). Anyway, 3 weeks out of all the shot he had to take for 6 months before leaving he got very forgetful, he could not remember anything short term. Scared us all."

If he were MY brother, I think I'd counsel him to borrow a burqa and head for Sweden.

Google video "Beyond Treason" and see what the troops who are fortunate to survive will face if they ever come home. Between depleted uranium and bathing with open wounds in utreated RAW SEWAGE, I think we are giving our troops a RAW DEAL and need to bring them HOME to protect our border and OUR country. But then again if you've never had a family member in the Armed Forces, or are unwilling to send your own child or even yourself to fight in a foreign war you claim to "support", then I guees your perfectly fine with forwarding your agenda with empty platitudes while civillians and soldiers alike are made to pay the ultimate sacrifice, with no mental or medical care should they be one who is fortunate enough to survive. Iraq vets have exposed their own family members to DU, a soldiers wife, husband or child never asked to sacrifice years off their lives to the fight in Iraq or the coming IRAN war. How can anybody justify calling these brave men and women's own familes to untimely deaths... Is there ANY humanity left in this country???

Okay, let's try this again. Apparently the censors didn't approve of my first post -- can't for the life of me figure out why!

I can't fault Hillary Clinton on this issue, other than for having voted for the war.

McCain, on the other hand, continues to show he is no friend to Veterans by not supporting legislation to help returning Iraq/Afghanistan veterans.

The problems faced by returning veterans can certainly be traced largely to the nature of this war, and particularly to the endless tours of duty and stop-loss, etc.

Vietnam Veterans faced similar problems on returning home, but for us the problems largely went untreated by the VA until years after the war was over. The VA constantly ignored and berated Vietnam Veterans for their problems. That didn't begin to change until the late 1970s, when the combination of the Carter Administration, with Max Cleland as VA Administrator, the then-fledgling Vietnam Veterans of America and other Vietnam Veterans organizations such as VVAW, NACV, etc. and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial combined to change public opinion and congressional mindsets.

While we're hearing about these problems much earlier -- and these issues HAVE been getting considerable press -- the Bush Administration has not done much to make the needed changes, lest they have to admit their approach to the war was wrong. And it's unlikely that would change considerably under McBush.

Only a new Democratic Administration will truly work to change the situation for returning Iraq War veterans. First, by bringing the troops home, and then by accepting American responsiblility for dealing with the problems created by the war, providing the care needed to heal the physical and emotional wounds of veterans and their families.

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

Irish Gram writes:
"America sends their best and brightest to an illegal and immoral war, then does not help them enough when they return home."

Well, THIS time, they mostly sent kids who were lured in by promises of education and so on. An "all-volunteer" force (they don't mention the equal number of better-paid mercenaries) doesn't even have as clear a claim to care as the Viet Nam draftees did -- and many of THEM wound up in the streets.

Just what they're intending to do with hundreds of thousands of these guys is a little puzzling -- surely they aren't ALL going into the police. National health would be a start, maybe.

Irish gram,

I agree with you. The Vietnam vets have been around since the '60's, untreated for the most part. No one cared ENOUGH. Despite substantial and chronic exposure to Agent Orange, with increases in neurological abnormalities and diabetes, the federal government has failed to act. I know two Vietnam vets who are bing "monitored" for agent orange exposure. Note, there is no real test for this so essentially the federal government, through the VA, sees them and collects data. That does these guys no good.

Perhaps this time we can make sure the vets are diagnosed and treated at least.

The media should have been looking into this a long time ago. America sends their best and brightest to an illegal and immoral war, then does not help them enough when they return home. This has happened before with Viet Nam troops (my husband was there)and other military actions. War is Hell. Bring our troops home.

My brother is Iowa National Guard, he is not the same.
Sometimes I think all the shots they had to have before leaving is not helping with this. They had to have shots to keep their bodies cool because of the heat, shots for amtheraxe (not sure the spelling). Anyway, 3 weeks out of all the shot he had to take for 6 months before leaving he got very forgetful, he could not remember anything short term. Scared us all.

I am tired of the Elitist Crap!

Clinton doesn't have the moral courage to be President. She is a spineless Panderer. Neither does the press.

jgaw,

And I would add, JFK put increased the troops substantially in Vietnam and was not in favor of a pullout:

"It was JFK who increased America's troop number from 500 to 16,000 and he repeatedly insisted that while Vietnam might have been "in the final analysis, their war," American troops were nontheless not there "to see a war lost" and that he totally disagreed with those who were suggesting the idea of a pullout. "I think that would be a mistake," he said to Walter Cronkite in 1963."