Veterans For America

More light is being shone on the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its connection to substance abuse. As VFA has pointed out over and over again, servicemembers whose PTSD goes undiagnosed or untreated often resort to drugs or alcohol to medicate themselves and make their lives bearable. Half of the veterans seeking treatment for PTSD from the Veterans Health Administration also abuse drugs or alcohol, but despite the seemingly strong association, the Army has not been able to quantify how strongly the two conditions are linked. The fact that significant numbers of servicemembers with diagnosed mental health injuries (not to mention those who remain undiagnosed) are redeployed to combat zones regardless of their condition only makes the situation worse. In the course of its investigations, VFA has witnessed numerous troops who were prosecuted and discharged from the service for substance abuse, thereby denying them VA benefits and a pension, when in fact their substance abuse was symptomatic of wounds they received in combat. To say that this is shameful would be putting it mildly.

In other news, Camp C.O.P.E. (Courage, Optimism, Patience and Encouragement) is going national. This is an extremely worthwhile program that helps children from military families deal with a parent’s long absences and the distant behavior they often display when they come home.

Also, the Army continues to do everything it can to keep its captains in uniform. As Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, heard first-hand in October, Army captains and their families are stretched to the breaking point by repeated and extended deployments. As one captain says, “I had a son who was 24 months old and I had seen him for four months of his entire life.”

For the rest of today’s news, please visit the Our Troops Newsladder.