News Analysis: June 9, 2009
Our troops are beyond stressed, after years of ongoing deployments to two war zones. In the wake of last month’s horrible shooting rampage on a US base in Iraq, officers are finding troops weary, stressed and suffering low morale. Sadly, “there is, among the officer corps, still some stigma” to admitting stress or psychological pain, said one officer in Iraq. “I wish there was a way to change the stereotype of asking for help.” It’s long past time to end the stigma. All too often it seems, it is tragedy that draws our attention to the traumatic fallout of war. It was more than a year ago that RAND released a striking report chalking up some 300,000 cases of PTSD or major depression in the ranks. With tens of thousands of deployments since then, how many more cases do we now have piling up and untreated? How many injured and hurting troops are being redeployed back into battle?
The causes of stress in the ranks are profound and growing. At the Army’s largest base, Fort Hood, Texas, battling suicide and stress is a vital mission.
Our troops still continuously deploying to Iraq, and the coalition of allies contributing troops continues to dwindle. And in Iraq, American officials have released a top Shiite insurgent believed to be supported by Iran and suspected of leading a group that killed five US troops in Karbala two years ago. Special Forces have an uphill climb in Afghanistan, literally and metaphorically, to winning the locals’ trust.
Believing we live in a time of “persistent conflict,” senior military leaders are aiming for a rotational deployment cycle that is sustainable. Some 10 Army brigades and Marine Corps regiments could be deployed at any given time over the next decade. The cycle of three years of dwell time between deployments is a long-term goal, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey.
Persistent deployments for the last more than seven years have shredded our National Guard as well — and the Guard must also prepare for hurricanes and whatever else Mother Nature unleashes on the homefront.
The GI killed at a recruiting center in Arkansas was mourned. A judge has issued a gag order in the capital case against the man accused of killing the soldier.