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August 04, 2005
Iraq Vet Suicides
The escalating violence in Iraq is taking more than a heavy battlefield toll in American lives. The intensity of the fighting, the stress on soldiers and Marines shifting from combat reality to homefront reality, is devastating.
Two soldiers back from Iraq in Killeen in the last week killed themselves--on Saturday and Monday, respectively. In Fort Collins, CO, Wednesday murdered his wife and then killed himself. It seems like we can't go more than a couple of months without hearing about another veteran suicide--but three in five days is truly stunning.
When you see a rash of suicides like this, you need to understand that this self-violence is only the tip of a mental health iceberg cutting its way through the ranks of the young men and women who are serving our country, placing their lives at the disposal of a government out of the purest love of their country.
We owe these young people so much more than what we're able to give. But it is well within our power to at least provide them with every possible support so that the little hells they walk through in our name, on our dime, in our interest, don't drive from them their very will to live when they finally return home.
If we, as a people, can't take better care of the young people who risk their all for us, then how can we say we deserve their protection? The pain and stress that dove them to the edge is on our heads now. These four young lost lives--three soldiers and one soldier's wife--have left our country, and our world, poorer for their loss.
If the United States government will not provide the counseling and other services to give our young vets the help they need to cope with the strains of war, then the state of Texas should step up to the plate.
Posted by Bucky at August 4, 2005 11:58 PM | Permalink
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Comments
The military and the VA do offer treatment for PTSD and other stress related issues. It is up to the soldier to seek these services out unless the soldier shows signs of a problem to his friends or chain of command. Maybe the stress of battle wouldn't be so great if the military draw down of the 1990's hadn't of happened, now my fellow soldiers and I are the ones that are paying for that cost cutting measure with longer deployments.
Posted by: American Soldier at August 5, 2005 03:53 PM
Go here and read the story of this Iraq soldier that is undergoing "treatment" for PTSD at a Waco hospital that is slated for closure. http://optruth.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=175&Itemid=119. Many veterans have to wait several months for PTSD treatment - which is an unacceptable wait for anyone dealing with mental illness.
OpTruth is a site run by Iraq veterans.
It's time to stop blaming Clinton - 4 1/2 years after his term in office ended. If Bush and the administration listened to the generals who called for more boots and better planning for the occupation, fewer GIs would be suffering.
Posted by: Lyn Wall at August 5, 2005 06:12 PM
I never blamed Clinton for that directly but I was in the military at that time so I do have an understanding of what was going on. What I said was that if the draw down hadn't happened, we would have had more soldiers to pull from without comitting so many at once that we couldn't rotate units out. As far as the President not listening to his Generals, they were asked what it would take to bring down Saddam and they got what they asked for. We couldn't have fielded the force in 2003 that we did in 1991 because it just didn't exist anymore.
Posted by: American Soldier at August 5, 2005 08:27 PM
My apologies for assuming you were blaming Clinton. I should not have put words in your mouth.
General Shinseki reported we would need 300k troops and was ridiculed and his career ended abruptly. My guess is that there were other voices the public never heard. Do you think it was wise to launch an invasion where the timing was our choice under conditions where we didn't have the personnel to manage the situation once we were there? Or the proper armor and communications equipment? I never agreed with the invasion of Iraq, but I pray for the safety of our troops and appreciate your service. One life or limb lost unnecessarily to incompetent planning is obscene. If only it were just one.
Posted by: Lyn Wall at August 5, 2005 09:17 PM