News Analysis: February 10, 2009
Our troops are owed nothing less than the treatment they need to be made whole again. They don’t need a fistful of drugs and a cold shoulder, especially when drug abuse treatment is sorely needed in the ranks. They should never hear something as cruel as “Kill yourself. It would save us a lot of paperwork.” That is allegedly what Pfc. Ryan Alderman heard. Alderman wanted help, “I mean mental help.” It’s a silent war roiling within the military community and it’s killing our troops.
Iraq remains a dangerous place for our troops, and likely will for some time. Elections in Iraq are only the start for rebuilding civil order. A stabilization plan is desperately needed in Afghanistan and its environs — because a Taliban base in Pakistan is bad news — to ensure no safe havens for terrorists remain. Hopefully, North Korea doesn’t flare up into a critical situation. And we still have to worry about shoddy contracting work and whether our deployed troops are at risk of electrocution.
Boosting dwell time would be a big help for our stressed troops. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the people in our military should be “first and foremost” on the agenda and that troops should get the mental health care they need. Amen.
Coping with PTSD is a challenge, for it affects more than just the veteran but the veteran’s family and community as well. To treat it effectively, “the challenge is to find the right formula for each soldier.”
We must be alert to the mental and psychological fitness of our troops. Now, we must also be concerned about their physical fitness: the obesity rate among US troops has doubled since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
As our National Guard citizen-Soldiers continue to deploy nearly continuously, the strains are building up. In Vermont, they’re planning to hold hearings on the matter, which is is ripping apart families, straining communities and leaving our citizen-Soldiers strained beyond measure. And the Guard has a recruiting problem to boot.
President Obama’s choice to be the #2 at the Pentagon is expected to be confirmed, despite the nominee’s recent lobbying work on behalf of defense contractor Raytheon.