Women at Arms - Another Peril in War Zones - Sexual Abuse by Fellow G.I.’s

Women at Arms - Another Peril in War Zones - Sexual Abuse by Fellow G.I.’s - Series - NYTimes.com

Sexual abuse in the military is akin to incest. The military becomes your family, and abuse by your comrades is strongly similar to incestual abuse. The perpetrators are your brothers, your fathers, those you trust with your life.

"Sexual harassment and sexual assault, which the military now defines broadly to include not only rape but also crimes like groping and stalking, continue to afflict the ranks, and by some measures are rising. While tens of thousands of women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, often in combat, often with distinction, the integration of men and women in places like Camp Taji has forced to the surface issues that commanders rarely, if ever confronted before....

"The strains of combat, close quarters in remote locations, tension and even boredom can create the conditions for abuse, even as they hinder medical care for victims and legal proceedings against those who attack them."

Female Veterans Having Trouble Finding A Place

News from The Associated Press:

"'I've never regretted my military service, I'm glad I did it,' Sherrod said. 'I'm not ashamed of my service. I'm ashamed to try and tell people about it because it's like, well, why'd you get out? All the questions that come with it.'

The Defense Department bars women from serving in assignments where the primary mission is to engage in direct ground combat. But the nature of the recent conflicts, with no clear front lines, puts women in the middle of the action, in roles such as military police officers, pilots, drivers and gunners on convoys. In addition to the 120-plus deaths, more than 650 women have been wounded.

Back home, women face many of the same issues as the men, but the personal stakes may be greater."

Army suicides set another yearly record

Army suicides set another yearly record - CNN.com:

"Since January, 140 active-duty soldiers have killed themselves while another 71 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers killed themselves in the same time period, totaling 211 as of Tuesday, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, U.S. Army vice chief of staff, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. But he said the monthly numbers are starting to slow down as the year nears its end."

These numbers DO NOT include suicides among veterans.

War Trauma PTSD is Nothing New

When Soldiers’ Minds Snap - NYTimes.com

This article supports what we wrote more than two years ago. A good review of war trauma PTSD reaching back to the Civil War in America, and further back to the story of Achilles. War trauma is nothing new, really, as old as war itself. Why do we keep forgetting how to treat it?

"Yet the history of treatments for combat stress has often been a circular one, with experts 'remembering and forgetting and remembering and forgetting but never integrating and creating a lasting narrative that could be a blueprint for going forward,' as one psychiatrist put it."

The Returning Warriors program is built on treatment techniques developed and that have worked for thousands of years. That is why it works.

Treating trauma victims may cause its own trauma

Treating trauma victims may cause its own trauma - CNN.com

Secondary PTSD suffered by caregivers is a known problem. This article discusses this as one of the roots of the tragedy at Fort Hood, so close to home. (I grew up in Temple; my father worked in Killeen for many years, working with the soldiers on base. - Gerry Starnes)

The Returning Warriors program also addresses this aspect of war trauma, and counselors also are eligible to participate.

Other related articles:

Combat Stress and the Fort Hood Gunman

Painful Stories Take a Toll on Military Therapists

When Soldiers' Minds Snap

US report details lapses in deadly Iraq shooting

News from The Associated Press: "The soldier at the center of the military's worst soldier-on-soldier violence in six years had gone to four counseling sessions. His rifle had been disabled out of fear for his safety. He'd even asked military police to take him into custody, saying 'I'm done.'

Despite these warnings, a military investigation found that he still managed to steal an automatic weapon and kill five people at a base counseling center."

Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, who was taken into custody and faces five murder counts, is the only person charged in the shootings. The incident has highlighted the issue of combat stress as troops increasingly serve multiple combat tours because the nation's volunteer army is stretched thin by two long-running wars.

The 325-page report, released Friday and obtained by The Associated Press Tuesday, includes detailed witness statements and describes the unraveling of a soldier less than two months before the end of his third deployment.

PTSD linked to higher post-surgery death rate

PTSD linked to higher post-surgery death rate - CNN.com:

"Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a condition of the mind, but research has implicated it in the ills of the body. Now, a new study suggests it may be associated with death after surgery.

The study shows that veterans with PTSD were more likely to die within a year after surgery than those without the disease, regardless of how many years had passed since their service. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists this week.

This is the first research to examine the mortality of patients with PTSD after surgery, said study author Dr. Marek Brzezinski, anesthesiologist and assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco."

U.S. seeing more female homeless veterans

U.S. seeing more female homeless veterans - CNN.com:

"Experts say that Angela Peacock's profile is similar to that of many female veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, the rate of female homeless vets is increasing in the United States, according to the federal government and groups that advocate for homeless people."

Amateur Reporters Helping to Get the Word Out

Interviews give veterans a voice, iReporters a cause - CNN.com

This article is worth a read, and the videos worth a viewing.