News Analysis: January 29, 2009
Listen to VFA’s Jason Forrester help lead the discussion on PTSD and Purple Hearts during National Public Radio’s Wednesday edition of Talk of the Nation. Psychological trauma is tearing through the ranks of our combat veterans, amounting to injuries as debilitating and painful as serious physical wounds. Is money an issue behind the Purple Heart decision? One grim symptom of the PTSD tidal wave is that Army suicides are at a three-decade high, pushed higher and higher by the unprecedented stress of repeated and lengthy tours to combat. PTSD takes it toll in myriad, destructive ways — on both the veteran and the veteran’s family. Are longer dwell times for our troops coming from the new administration? That could help ease the rate of combat-related trauma. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says combat troops should get some 15 months home for every 12 deployed starting in October and 30 months of dwell time by October 2011.
Even so, the strains on our military are massive, owing to years of deployment policies that paid little attention to the psychological health of our troops and their families. These strains, as have long been obvious, reach all the way to our National Guard forces. Our citizen-Soldiers continue to deploy and serve in extended combat roles far beyond what they were prepared for. Wisconsin’s Guard is sending its 32nd Brigade to Iraq shortly — which will mean that 85 percent of the state’s 10,000 Guard members will have been deployed since the attacks of 9/11, many more than once. As the latest winter storm has created yet another pressing need for our Guard forces, it’s clear we need our citizen-Soldiers ready and rested for duties on the homefront.
President Barack Obama vowed to give his “full support” to the military following his first official meeting at the Pentagon as commander in chief. Along with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where “difficult decisions” must be made, the president and the brass “talked about making sure that the health of our force is always in our sights,” Obama said. “And I know that all the chiefs that are represented here, as well as Secretary Gates, are confident about all we need to do to make sure that people in uniform for the United States are getting the kinds of support that they need.” One way to help ease the epic strain on our military is by enlisting more European support for Afghanistan. And that’s not all there is to worry about as many eyes are warily on Pakistan — with some starting to watch for trouble in Algeria now, as well. And there’s Gaza, too.
An eye-trauma center for injured troops, including those suffering eye-related problems due to Traumatic Brain Injury, is on hold due to a squabble between Congress and the Pentagon. The proposed Vision Center of Excellence has a director, but does yet exist because of the dispute. TBI is a serious concern for those in uniform.
Another victim of the apparent fraudster who promoted the Veterans’ Inaugural Ball in Washington, a ball that never happened because the promoter vanished without warning, is the Psychiatric Service Dog Society. The group put up $5,000 to help sponsor the ball and is pleading for the return of the money so that it can continue its mission of helping treat mental health injuries in veterans with trained service dogs. The promoter of the failed ball, Dante Hayes, has registered multiple addresses and does not appear to have filed paperwork with the IRS for years.