Bush, Cheney and Rove say that the army supports the war in Iraq, and that our soldiers are getting all they need. But one statistic you won’t hear out of George Bush, Dick Cheney or Karl Rove’s mouth is that the active duty soldier suicide rate has reached a 26 year high.
Other statistics they won’t want you to know include that 20 % of our soldiers have symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, and that more than 1 in 3 returning soldiers have sought mental health treatment.
These findings, while possibly shocking to George A’W’OL Bush, will not be surprising to psychiatrists or mental health professionals, who understand that long term military occupations in the midst of insurgencies inevitably cause extreme stress, depression, and even suicide among the over-extended troops.
The Bush administration continues to declare that they have strong support for the Iraq war among our troops overseas, but the statistics tell another story. Suicide and PTSD rates don’t reach multi-decade highs when the troops are doing well, and when they support the government’s policies. They reach such highs when troops are demoralized, and see no end in sight - no hope on the horizon.
The two most obvious solutions to the problem are 1) Bring the troops home now, and 2) triple funding for the Veterans administration, and hire on many more health care professionals.
These things will not happen until George Bush is either impeached, or if the troops are very unfortunate indeed, in early 2009 after Bush is put out to pasture in Crawford. How he will then live with his conscience, if he has one, is another matter altogether.
Dr. John Moffett is an active research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area, who has published articles on the nervous and immune systems. Dr. Moffett is also the author and webmaster of the political opinion website www.Factinista.org, and is a Managing Editor at OpEdNews.com.
Your few words here speak volumes. Your article reminded me of a vet I sat next to during a cross country flight a bit over a year ago. He was a young man, perhaps early twenties, but he had done two tours in Iraq, and had a few young soldiers beneath him. His injuries kept him home now.
He suffered from hearing loss and other injuries, including stress and depression. He seemed eager to talk, but also careful with his words, choosing each one deliberately so not to sound as if he was bashing the military.
However, without mincing words, he told me that he had been treated like cattle from the Vets Administration - and he was so frustrated that he thought he would discontinue treatment.
He said that many times while in Iraq, those soldiers beneath him would ask, "why are we here - what are we fighting for?" to which he replied, "I don't know."
A few times during the flight, while he slept, he would jerk and flinch, followed by his left hand balling into a fist, his arm slamming into my leg, my lap. Gently, I would touch his arm, move it back to the rest, and he would open his eyes, realize that he had unintentionally hit me, and smile as if to say he was sorry. I'd smile back, no words were needed here.
I have never forgotten this young man whose life has been forever altered. I hope that he has found the help he needed and can find his way on a road to recovery, whatever that may be.
Jan
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Jan Baumgartner (47 articles, 135 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 221 comments)
on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 3:40:40 PM
Another statistic you don't hear about is the numbers of the military contributing to Ron Paul's campaign. No one in the press corps ever asks Tony Snow or George Bush, "If the troops so support this administration's war policy, why is the most outspoken anti-war republican running for president getting more contributions from the military than is any other candidate?" I am waiting with baited breath for that one.
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Sheila Jackson (16 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 137 comments)
on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 6:30:57 PM
Absolutely right in every detail. Now you and everyone else
should understand where I was coming from with this article that was subject to the harshest criticism at the time. I said it before, I will say it again, our troops have been mentally coming apart at the seams under the strain of the war for the better part of 30 months now. And it is OUR fault collectively that they are over there and being subjected to this. Each person breaks differently when subjected to severe mental pressure that goes past their ability to handle. Some hurt themselves, some hurt strangers, some hurt family. All suffer.
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Steven Leser (189 articles, 35 quicklinks, 32 diaries, 1263 comments)
on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 11:07:19 PM
Of course you could not talk to George Bush or Dick head Cheney about war. these two COWARDS dont know about war. they never been in one. bush draft dogged the vietnam war, dick cheney got 5 draft deferments. bush went into the Texas Air National Guard with his fathers help. bush sr. paid bush jr's. way into the guard. then this imbecile went A.W.O.L in the guard. i went to vietnam twice. i had 12 of my friends die there. this idiot president has realy done a job on our military. he claims he loves our military. that's way he send's them to die for OIL. he has cut money every year for the veterans. last year over twenty billion dollars. how the veterans administration just gave there top officals over fifteen billion dollars in BONSES. AND BUSH SAYS HE LOVES THE MILITARY PEOPLE????i have been waiting for over 3 years on my disability to be settled. they keep turning me down. i and over 60,000 veterans here in texas have been going through this crap over 5 years. we need a complete cleaning of the veterans administration. all must go. only military veterans should be in the top positions at V.A. OUR SYSTEM COMPLETELY STINKS. JUST LIKE OUR GOVERNMENT. I DONT KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER OUR MILITARY SONS AND DAUGHTERS CAN LAST IN THIS UNJUST WAR IN IRAQ. they are at a complete breaking point. THIS IDIOT president will have to go back to the draft.
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vincent passiatore (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 141 comments)
on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 11:52:29 PM
After all is said and done, Bush like "Cain" will be unacceptable to the world. He will wonder around and find no solace in his misery. Like Orange Juice Simpson, everyone will know him by his fruits, ... which rots around the world. Even the LORD HIS GOD will look down upon Bush as he did Cain and will kick him out of his own country.
But God will alot Bush/Cain one spot where he will be accepted and that will be deep, back in the woods, hidden from the world. And there he can play his war games and get his kicks out of going after one man by killing millions of others, all in the hopes that he will be the TOP DOG MAN. For you see, Bush will be accepted by pit-bull fighters, who prey on "Petey" by making the circled eye dog fight to the death, ... because George Bush is a wimp who loves blood-sports.
If only Bush were a Bible reader and have read the first 3 Chapters of Genesis, for then alone, would he have found out, that the Mesopatamian valley around the Tigris River and the Euphates was hallowed ground.
I can see Bush now, down in the dog pit, ... the referee, loving the blood - the gore of it all.
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Dale Hill (55 articles, 0 quicklinks, 97 diaries, 340 comments)
on Friday, August 17, 2007 at 3:10:10 AM
