The stories about soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been coming for a while now. That one is from June 2004. Its worrisome "1 in 8" soldiers suffering has been upgraded to this month's one in three.
The News Blog is collecting the recent rash of sad stories this month about combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in American and coalition troops.
If I have any readers left, every last one of you must read the following books. When you’ve read them, pass your copies to the next person.
Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character and
Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming by Jonathan Shay, VA psychiatrist.
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman, psychologist and former Army Ranger.
It isn’t fear of death or mutilation that causes combat stress, exhaustion, and PTSD. It is the necessity of killing. Wrap your head around that: ask a soldier to kill and he or she will suffer. Yes, there are ways to mitigate the suffering and the US military does some of what is needed. But, given what we’re hearing right now, clearly not enough, and when the pressure on manpower is this acute, corners are being cut.
Posted by Martial