Friday May 15, 2009, 5:31 pm
Study revealed that the U.S. military command of the Army of the American occupation to suffer from increased breakdowns between the nerve of its soldiers, pointing out that this has become a major problem for the U.S. military, locked in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The channel "Russia Today" on the study - prepared by the Pentagon - say: Five U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq suffer from a mental disorder and the incidence of suicide among them rose from 115 cases in 2007 to 143 a similar situation in 2008, explaining that this case raises questions on many efforts to address the phenomenon of psychological stress in the ranks of the U.S. military and address the volatile situation in Iraq and Afghanistan
The tension caused by trauma is the condition most prevalent among American soldiers, but the studies found that other medical problems suffered by soldiers and the psychological disorder such as depression and abuse of tranquilizers, noting that young people between 18 and 24 years who are exposed to the risk of suffering from mental problems
The: the specter of psychological collapse of the American soldiers who accompanied the Vietnam War, due again to the United States with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the latest chapter in the chapters by Sergeant John Russell of killing five of his comrades and wounded three others within a few days ago, "Liberty Cam" near Baghdad airport , which may be one of the models that reflect the turmoil that has gripped so many of American soldiers there
In connection with this incident, the American psychiatrist Mark Levy: "Russell may be depressed and his mental condition between the murder and suicide, it has been for some time on the battlefield and have been living in an environment where lives are in danger always, day and night."
For its part, was concerned with the League of American Veterans in Washington, was not surprising and it reflects the impact of psychological stress caused by the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to the economic recession which affects the families of soldiers overseas. The Pentagon has opened an investigation into whether the U.S. military is enough on health institutions to address the psychological pressures faced by U.S. soldiers in Iraq
There are growing fears of American society from the ill-treatment of soldiers returning from the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where U.S. medical centers revealed reports of the service is very low in clinics devoted to the treatment of returning soldiers and veterans, which may reflect negatively on the mental health of soldiers

Friday May 15, 2009, 5:57 pm
The health treatment received by our returning soldiers, both psychiatric and medical, is nowhere near the standard it should be. We ask them to put their lives on the line and then don't keep up our end of the bargain when they're hurt or troubled.

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:03 pm

Sorry, Uhoud. Thanks for this worthy and thought-provoking (as always) submission.

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:04 pm

(Why are my comments appearing out of sequence?)

Never mind.

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:07 pm

This has always troubled me. WHY do we expect to throw young people, armed to defend themselves, and steeled for the worst, in the midst of a nightmarish state of fear for their lives, and NOW for increasing periods, and NOT expect them to be psychologically affected?

I can't be the ONLY one who sees that this is ridiculous!

For heaven's sake, I know people who suffered ONE episode of terror, and have been traumatized for the rest of their lives.

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:24 pm
Uhoud :thank you so much for this! I agreed with Carole,and I've always thought war just leads to destruction,of all kinds,if such a horrible thing could be summerized in one single word.When shall world leaders ever learn? When will HUMANITY ever learn? Sometimes I feel as if all humanity were just mere pieces of a huge "Chess game" played by "some Elite" I am saying this with deep respect to every single human being in the world,make no mistake here.
Thank you, in the name of peace!
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Albert Einstein quotes

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:25 pm
Ooppss... Forgot.... Noted and now shall fw!

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:28 pm

Wow, Monica. Thanks for quoting Einstein. My favorite, from him, is: "It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:45 pm
Well this should come as no big surprize after all, it is not 'normal' to murder people for a living!!

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:53 pm

Thank you, AniTa. It's not exactly a mystery!

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:55 pm
Yes,my friends.... Anita dear... we are aware,hun...Sadly aware...

Carole....here is another one

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein quotes

And they keep on......

Friday May 15, 2009, 6:58 pm
Could the title be 1 in 5? Otherwise, it makes no sense.. and that is part of the problem with letting software translate articles...

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:04 pm
Of course, one reason that many soldiers, especially from the Vietnam era, suffer psychological distress is because some of their own countrymen wrongly persist in calling them murderers because they were asked to fight a war on our behalf. And other rather despicable insults.

And a soldier does not deserve that kind of treatment. ESPECIALLY from his fellow Americans.

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:07 pm
They have put their lives on the line -it is time we put our compassion and support to help them deal with the traumas of war.

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:22 pm

Increasingly, V.A. hospitals are admonished NOT to diagnose returning veterans as suffering from PTSD. Although these young people risked their lives, and most certainly, suffered tremendous psychological damage, the U.S. government does not want to be shackled with the medical expenses of helping them.

It's disgusting beyond belief to see the treatment (by the government) of soldiers as "disposable" now that they've served their purpose.

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:23 pm
We take young men and women in the prime of their youth teach them to kill, throw them in hell till they are broken then give them no help and then call them murders when we are done with them. How much sense does it make?

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:26 pm
It isn't just the VA Hospitals - it's the soldiers themselves in many cases who refuse to admit they are experiencing any psychological problems. Because it has always been a sad fact of military life - admitting to psych problems is a really great way to ruin your career. My husband was like that after his two tours in Vietnam - it was very hard for him to admit to any difficulties at all.

I think one of the hard things in many conflicts today is similar to something my husband spoke of about his experiences. That it's terrifyingly stressful to be in a war where you never know if the person you see standing by the side of the road is an enemy or an ally. Since, unlike in many wars past, many enemy fighters are likely to be dressed in civilian clothing and be of the same ethnic make-up as the ally standing at your shoulder.

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:35 pm

True, Lindsey!

I can't even imagine ONE WEEK as a soldier under those circumstances. My heart breaks about it. (One of the reasons I belong to CODEPINK, whose motto is: "I will not raise my children to kill another mother's child."

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:37 pm
Exactly Lindsey. We cannot and must not blame our soldiers but those that sent them to an illegal war. Let us not echo vietnam yet again. And PTSD is now being well funded. But the blot on your record does stay with you and can impede promotions and where you are sent next. Had they been removed upon that fateful day Bush declared Mission Accomplished and replaced with men who knew how to police in situations like Iraq became, like UN Forces have had to learn in somalia, bosnia and serbia to name a few, this would not be an issue.

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:44 pm
And those who say you can't support the troops without being in support of the war are so wrong. My son enlisted years before 2001. He did not consider war a high probability even though I warned him. Had he gone into the Navy, even less stress of this type. But he wanted helo's and there were much fewer slots in the Navy.

Friday May 15, 2009, 7:47 pm
I should have FORCED him into the Coast Guard :) Yeah, I did try that too.

Friday May 15, 2009, 8:01 pm
I don't have children, Carole, although I have a dearly-loved set of nieces and nephews. Although I hope profoundly that they will never be called upon to fight a war (and hope even more profoundly that there will be no war TO fight when they come of age), I will support whatever choice they make. My husband, father, grandfathers, and great-grandfather (the generations I've known personally) were proud of their military service. And if those young ones of mine choose military service I hope they'll be proud of that decision as well. Selfishly, I just hope it's a choice they won't make. Like you, I think my heart would break more than just a little.

Friday May 15, 2009, 8:03 pm
send them all home alive no more useless war

Friday May 15, 2009, 8:15 pm
All wars cause trauma unfortunately. We should not be helping a people that hate us. Leave them to their own devices and pull out any financial aid. Let the poppies pay for itl.Our boys should not die in such a godforsaken place.

Friday May 15, 2009, 8:20 pm
I shall say it one more time. IT IS NOT WAR!!
It is a DELIBERATE GENOCIDE on a sovereign country that did NOTHING to the (dis)USA

Friday May 15, 2009, 8:25 pm
Whatever you choose to call it, AniTa, the subject is our soldiers. Who, despite your own personal opinion, are not murderers. But merely soldiers fighting in a war which they did not make the decision to start.

Saturday May 16, 2009, 8:12 am
I am sad for them as I am sad for our Iraqi men .. forgin agly faces in Iraq we havent seen them in Iraq before march 2003 the handsomes angels all abroad miss them. wish your troops return home and wish our hansomes men return home too..

Sunday May 17, 2009, 12:53 am
Our men and women who are in the military have my undying gratitude for the unselfish sacrifices they are willing to make for so many they do not even know. I am humbled and honored when in their presence.

Sunday May 17, 2009, 10:36 am
uhoud, and Moni! thank You both for this critical important issue! I aprreciate greatly this problem! blessings of peace

Sunday May 17, 2009, 3:26 pm
Noted and hoping this whole mess ends. It´s not fair for anyone.