Shattered Heroes

A startling new report by the New York Times about Iraq war veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is taking the nation by storm and forcing us to critically re-examine a forgotten aspect of this war.

The soldiers, national heroes, have been bravely fighting the war we were never sure we wanted for the last five years. While the botched attempts of “Operation Iraqi Freedom” have left us all disappointed and ashamed with our nation, the soldiers whose lives have been shattered far more by this war than we have cared to notice are silently screaming for help.

The Times report revealed over 121 discovered cases of Iraq War veterans who were involved in some form of homicide or suicide since returning from their military service. The vast majority of these men and women had no criminal record or history of violence prior to their offenses after returning from the war. Psychologists determined their rage and depression stems from post-traumatic stress disorder, and that many soldiers are having an extremely difficult time dealing with their experiences in Iraq. Perhaps the most interesting component of the analysis is that this seems to be the case with Iraqi War veterans far more than the veterans of any other recent American war studied. Death and killing are part of the horrific sights of almost any war so why is PTSD plaguing the Iraq veterans so significantly? Evidence suggests that when the killing seems unjustified to a soldier in combat the psychological distress is far more traumatic. In addition chaotic command along with reckless mistakes has led to the death of many innocent civilians in Iraq and that reality is too much for some soldiers to bear.  Consumed by guilt and ravished with depression some veterans are unable to continue their regular lives back in the States.

The United States Military is not unique to this kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. A new company in Israel sprang up last year offering insurance to parents of IDF soldiers who “fell off the deep end” after their mandatory military service was completed.  The company offers treatment and rehabilitation to these soldiers and hopes to expand their services to other nations. While its not surprising that this kind of experience can lead to a mental disorder its horrifying to see that in the US the soldiers are going untreated and are more likely to manifest their emotions in the form of rage. Perhaps its time to put aside our politics and focus on the destroyed lives of those involved in this war.