If there was a foot race between a Chinese and American, and the American won... the headline would read:
CHINESE RUNNER COMES IN SECOND WHILE IMPERIALIST YANKEE PLACES SECOND TO LAST!!!
Posted on 07/28/2005 4:13:34 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
Most battle related disorders are series of serious and non-serious PTSDs and Stress plus anxiety which can get better through talk therapy and medication!
99% of democrats in congress have full blown mental illness.
If there was a foot race between a Chinese and American, and the American won... the headline would read:
CHINESE RUNNER COMES IN SECOND WHILE IMPERIALIST YANKEE PLACES SECOND TO LAST!!!
Yep, been 30 some years for me too. Hmmm
You can't pull tour after tour and see what these guys and gals are going through day after day and expect them not to have some problems.
Going out on convoys day after day not knowing if this is the day you get hit by an IED. Driving up on carnage left from an IED and or Suicide bomber that just drove his car into a convoy or a crowd. Getting ambushed while driving through a town. Going bac to base at night so Haji can drop mortars or rockets on your base. He don't have to hit ya, he just has to do it over and over and make you wonder. No one knows what these young men and women are going through, but God bless em all, and if they do need help then we ought to give them the best.
I visited your profile page - and learned you've "seen the elephant" a time or two!
There are quite a few old grunts in this forum, that understand the bitter sweet revenge of surviving and living well..
I worry that the younguns today, are being recycled back into country - too soon and too frequently..
I've heard of kids pulling two full tours within 36 months.... That has got to be a heavy load for those 19/21 year olds to carry... We were a few years older, and there were very few grunts pulling 2 tours inside of 3 years.....
Stay safe.
Semper Fi
Iraq Vets Suffering Mental Health Problems
Friday, July 29, 2005 A survey of troops returning from the Iraq war found 30 percent had developed mental health problems three to four months after coming home, the Army's surgeon general said Thursday.
The problems include anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger and an inability to concentrate, according to Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley and other military medical officials. A smaller group, usually with more severe cases of these symptoms, is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
The 30 percent figure is in contrast to the 3 percent to 5 percent diagnosed with a significant mental health issue immediately after they leave the theater, according to Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a military psychiatrist on Kiley's staff. A study of troops who were still in the combat zone in 2004 found 13 percent experienced significant mental health problems.
Soldiers departing a war zone are typically given a health evaluation as they leave combat, but the Army is only now instituting a program for follow-up screenings three to six months later, said Kiley, speaking to reporters.
A pilot program for the follow-up screenings, conducted on 1,000 U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq to Italy last year, found a much greater incidence of mental health problems than expected, a fact Kiley attributed to post-combat stress (search) problems taking time to develop once the danger has passed.
Only about 4 percent or 5 percent of troops coming home from combat actually have PTSD, but many others face problems adjusting, Kiley said.
(Note: This was actually discussed in a briefing today at Madigan Army Hospital for staff working with both outgoing and incoming personnel. The remaining soldiers spoken about in this research exhibited symptoms commonly associated with returning soldiers; restlessness, nightmares, anxiety, minor depression, etc.).
The stress of combat, seeing dead and mutilated bodies, and feeling helpless to stop a violent situation are common triggers. In Iraq, truck drivers and convoy guards are developing mental health problems in greater numbers than other troops, Ritchie said, suggesting the long hours on the road, constantly under threat of attack, are taking their toll.
In Iraq, the military has about 200 mental health experts, grouped in what the Army calls "combat stress control teams." These teams are at many posts around the country and talk with troops after battles, try to prevent suicides and diagnose troops who should be evacuated from of the country because of mental health problems.
"They are worth their weight in gold," Kiley said of the teams.
Yes, I know many get well with certain medication and talk through therapy but the numbers being reported are a bit high. I am still questioning the numbers and how they are actually tallied.
Haa, haa, 100% of the Marines that survive bootcamp are delusional, egocentric, and ready to rip the heads off of anyone that threatens America's freedom. Did my stint as a Drill Instructor on Paris Island, so have a little first hand experience.
Who can forget shouting the sweet refrain, "My rifle is my life, I wanna be free to shoot and kill my emeny!" and other endearing song.
Marines are finely crafted tools whose express purpose is to kill people and break things effectively. Let's face it, anyone willing to face death and not flinch at prospect of dragging their buddy back to safety under heavy gunfire is certifiably nuts, my kind of nuts.
That said, we do need to be concern about our returning boys. War has a heavy cost on one's soul and spirit (seen this first hand too). Some injuries are internal and take time to heal.
Let's make sure they return home in dignity, respect and are provided the best of care (mental and physical). I might be in the minority here, but I don't think 30% is far fetch with my experiences meeting, living with, and talking to the soldiers who fought daily in Vietnam.
What a load of cr@p.
Read #46, the numbers ARE too high. In fact: Only about 4 percent or 5 percent of troops coming home from combat actually have PTSD, but many others face problems adjusting, Kiley said.
The remainder of the numbers quoted in the original posting represent people experiencing common symptoms for people coming back from a war zone.
The problem with posting from sources such as the one used here is that the information is distorted, most likely deliberately.
Pretty soon none of us will be considered mentally equipped to own guns.
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