One of the most remarkable stories of the entire Iraq war was published in the Army Times on Friday. While violence is down in Iraq, Americans continue to die and fall badly wounded, and suffer severe stress and trauma caused by 15-month tours of duty. The article on Friday in the Army Times is titled: "Not us. We’re not going: Soldiers in 2nd Platoon, Charlie 1-26 stage a ‘mutiny’ that pulls the unit apart." I have contacted Jeffrey McKinney's father and await a response. Here is the link to the E&P article about it.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003686058
Also, my friend, the great Joe Galloway, has a new column on our site which basically says, "Honor the troops -- and ride the hypocritical politicians out of town on a rail for not taking care of the injured ones back home." Here it is:
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/shoptalk_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003686171
15 comments:
This is a test of the Emergency Blogcast System.
I blame the mental health people here, and I think the command ought to consider pressing sedition charges.
http://iraqnow.blogspot.com/2007/12/mister-christian-mister-christiaaaaaan.html
Yeah, you tell 'em jerkoff. I'm sure they are real scared of sedition charges after watching their Staff NCO eat a bullet. You want to blame the mental health people? Why don't you blame the policy? There is no military mission over there, it was accomplished honorably over four and a half years ago.
Bring these man and women home.
If they volunteered to go and kill people and destroy thing what is their problem? They are just being asked to do what they signed up for.
That some of them are weak (killed self) is no excuse. Do your job and stop whining.
Hello, Vietnam! but it's not a Robin Williams comedy this time. It's a crooked incompetent President Bush who proudly proclaims his failure to learn history. Cry, the beloved world.
Combat is amazingly stressful. In every conflict we have fought, some people crack under this strain. When one does so, the odds of close companions doing so is substantially increased.
This is nothing new, and says no more about the campaign in Iraq than it did about World War Two.
The preceding is my personal opinion and does not reflect the policy of the United States Army or the views of any group within the Army.
V/R
SSG Anderson
Although the problem is very complex, the Army is aware that multiple long deployments spaced closely together increases the liklihood of psychological injury or extending a previous injury. Absent real treatment for these injuries, using multiple medications which are unapproved for use in this type of injury is the first line of care. Many of the medications are noted to increase the liklihood of suicide ideation/gesture - especially in younger individuals.
For those who survive when a person commits suicide there are questions...and a certain amount of guilt. Couple that with the stress of battle - and deaths related to that battle - it is a volitile combination given the Military's culture of "suck it up and do the job."
Mental Health personnel do not make the decisions regarding a unit's ability to complete a mission - that is done by the Command who are not experts in the subject matter. And those decisions are not based on psychological care needs for individual soldiers - they are based on "conditions on the ground"
I am shocked and appalled by the total lack of understanding shown by most of the bloggers on this issue. I lived through Vietnam and for anyone to fail to understand the enormous stress that is put on our troops during wars, especially a war like Iraq is nothing short of unpatriotic. Every single person over there is under the kind of stress that NO one should or can take for too long. All Americans should have to go through one day exactly the way our troops have to deal with and then, just maybe they will have just a teeny, tiny idea of what it is like to walk streets not knowing when they might get hit, or their buddies with get hit or see their buddies get killed, mutilated, watching them lie there in agony...not knowing when it will be their turn. Humans can only withstand so much. It is up to us...the people they are fighting and dying for to help them. 15 months in hell is too long! Did President Bush spend even one day in the hell he sent those young men and women to?
Know what this reminds me of? (Wait for it...) VIETNAM! Whole platoons refusing to fight, fragging officers who order them into battle... High rates of suicide... Longtime veterans quitting in disgust at interminable deployments to a hell-hole without a chance of victory, to be replaced by whomever the Army scrapes from the bottom of the barrel... Yep, it's deja vu all over again.
The article in question is now no where to be found on army times... anyone have a copy?
You would not hear of US MARINES doing any "mutiny."
I too would like the opportunity to read the original article. Seems Army Times removed it.
It's here: www.militarytimes.com/projects/flash/bloodbrothers/
We are dealing with non-hostile combat death in the family. The army ruled it as self-inflicted despite the fact we were in constant contact with him. Testimonies of his final hours showed no sign of suicidal tendencies, physical evidence provided was contradicting and circumstantial at best. He was getting out Iraq and the service in less than 4 months. I am curious about this medication comment that increases "the liklihood of suicide ideation/gesture." What types of medication could be suspect that would be used for relieving stress and anxiety. Nothing else makes sense and the Army has only released the sparse information that supports their determinations. Greg, something stinks with this noncombat crap going on, and families like us are isolated & left to fend for ourselves. The government/Army holds all the cards and resources and know the process in which we have to navigate through to get information and the many ways to be denied.
It's a job to them. For us, it's picking up the shattered remains of our lives.
Whoever posted just above -- first, my condolences. Second, I have written about this subject for four years, probably more than anyone in the "mainstream." I may have even written or mentioned your son. Please email me at :
epic1934@aol.com
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