Veterans returning medals in protest

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

He explained why he is returning his medals:

"Because every day in this country, 18 veterans are committing suicide. Seventeen per cent of the individuals that are in combat in Afghanistan, my brothers and sisters, are on psychotropic medication. Twenty to 50% of the individuals that are getting deployed to Afghanistan are already diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma or a traumatic brain injury. Currently, one-third of the women in the military are sexually assaulted."

IVAW's Operation Recovery seeks increased support for veterans, and to stop the redeployment of traumatized troops. Hughes elaborated:

"The only type of help that (veterans) can get is some type of medication like trazodone, Seroquel, Klonopin, medication that's practically paralyzing, medication that doesn't allow them to conduct themselves in any type of regular way. And that's the standard operating procedures. Those are the same medications that service members are getting redeployed with and conducting military operations on."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/17/us-veterans-protest-nato-occupation-chicago1?intcmp=239


Is this for real? Sounds pretty horrific.

[Steelgrave]

My wife is a psychological counselor (Masters working on her Doctorate) who treats veterans with PTSD at a local vet center. The incidents of PTSD and some of the ways in which they manifest are horrific for the people involved. I can't address the numbers given here but I do know for a certainty that there are several non-medication responses to PTSD which show varying degrees of success. The problem is numbers. The number of returning vets who could use the help is far in excess of the psychologists and counselors available to treat them.  Sadly,the response is often that it becomes easier to medicate than to utilize therapy. The second issue is Command. We are indeed recycling our combat troops, including those who have been diagnosed with PTSD, back into the meat grinder to possibly be re-traumatized. At times the scope of the issue emotionally overwhelms my wife, who is a retired Air Force First Sergeant and who was working with PTSD troop issues even while on active duty.

I have no right to speak for any combat veteran or question their choices, nor would I presume to do so. I do know a number of them who went where they were told to go and did what they were told to do, but who now wonder exactly what the hell was accomplished and if the price was worth it. For years, I've been on one side of that issue, but the more I see the toll it's taken on our sons, the more I ask myself the same damn question. Our politicians....now at a historic low in terms of prior military service and/or having their own children in uniform....our politicians literally have no skin in the game. That falls to our brothers, our sons, ourselves to provide. No fortunate sons here.

[son_of_montfort]

Steelgrave, thank you for the interesting insight. From the stories I have heard, we really don't treat our returning vets very well. I think this largely has to do with a lack of funding and resources.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Steelgrave, thank you for the interesting insight. From the stories I have heard, we really don't treat our returning vets very well. I think this largely has to do with a lack of funding and resources.

If life imitates art or vice versa or both I don't know. The movie "Home of the Brave" was all about this.


I have always wondered how a religious soldier can square away in their minds "Thou shalt not kill" (or its equivalent from other religions) with the role of soldier. It seems inevitable that this would lead to massive amounts of identity issues. How is it reversed going back to civilian life? Could something like a traffic accident cause them to flip out on a civilian? The politician that takes war lightly will pay through history.

[Steelgrave]

Steelgrave, thank you for the interesting insight. From the stories I have heard, we really don't treat our returning vets very well. I think this largely has to do with a lack of funding and resources.

If life imitates art or vice versa or both I don't know. The movie "Home of the Brave" was all about this.


I have always wondered how a religious soldier can square away in their minds "Thou shalt not kill" (or its equivalent from other religions) with the role of soldier. It seems inevitable that this would lead to massive amounts of identity issues. How is it reversed going back to civilian life? Could something like a traffic accident cause them to flip out on a civilian? The politician that takes war lightly will pay through history.

Actually, all of the major religions define a time for peace and a time for killing. It is generally accepted that the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is in reference to murder, which by definition is not combat. And I don't mean this unkindly, but your take on how PTSD works is more Hollywood than not. Most PTSD symptoms are self-destructive in nature and do more harm to the individual than to others, with the exception of those close to the person with PTSD, who may be driven away by the symptoms, behavior changes or stress of dealing with it. The likelihood of someone being harmed by a soldier returning from the war who suffers from PTSD is miniscule to the likelihood of being harmed by a junkie looking for a bit of cash in order to score.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Thx for the info. Its a complicated subject that I know nothing about.

[Electric_Strawberry]

Steelgrave...
Well said.  That's a very good assessment of how PTSD manifests itself.  The affected person is almost always withdrawn from society as opposed to being threat to it.