News Analysis: June 1, 2009
Years into two wars that have produced legions of psychological trauma, how can we allow the PTSD stigma to persist? Plain and simple, for too many of our troops the pain of war doesn’t ebb upon returning home. Going to school, or a job, after returning from war with untreated psychological injury can be very difficult. Can art help with treatment? Artists are already reflecting on the pain of our troops — and demanding help for them. Not helpful is too many deployments, too little rest between tours, not enough preventative psychological care and not enough follow-up care, among other issues highlighted by the recent shootings on an American base in Iraq. Untreated, we risk more damaged heroes, more shattered families, and more military suicides.
Are the explanations surrounding the PTSD-related death of a Marine more than a year ago still being kept from his family as investigators comb through records? Could the records of US Civil War veterans reveal a mountain of PTSD evidence?
So many war casualties that the wait for burials at Arlington National Cemetery can now reach three months…
More than six years after the start of the war in Iraq, it’s unclear how many US troops will continue to remain in Iraq’s cities beyond the June 30 deadline for withdrawal. But make no mistake, many will remain. In Afghanistan, a complex quilt of tribes, ethnicities, hatreds, grudges and politics tests the US troop buildup and the larger strategy for establishing peace in the chaotic, Taliban-hammered society. More assistance from our Asian allies may help in Afghanistan, says Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Meanwhile, Pakistan is struggling to fight militants on at least two fronts. And, as if one North Korea long-range missile test wasn’t enough, another one may be coming — the harbinger of a “dark future?” Is “persistent conflict” around the world unavoidable for the coming few years?
Analyzing VA hospital mishaps…Do we now have a VA crisis, as the benefits claims backlog approaches one million?
Instead of Stop Loss for our over-worked, under-rested Guard members, how about bonus cash?