Iraq's Mental Cost

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April 2008
- Army's Role in Iraq Turning Personal
  
  Bitterlemons | Apr 1, 08 11:21 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After five years of war, the US military is enmeshed in virtually all aspects of Iraqi life—a common development in such engagements but one that can prove to be a double-edged sword for military efficiency, writes Lawrence Kaplan in the policy forum Bitter Lemons. "American units slowly melt into the landscape, becoming in effect the most powerful of their area's tribes," Kaplan writes. More »
March 2008
- Stop-Loss Earnest But Flawed
  
  Metacritic | Mar 28, 08 7:24 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - While some critics are calling Stop-Loss , Kimberly Peirce’s long-awaited Boys Don’t Cry follow-up, earnest and, at times, riveting, none of them seem to see it as the definitive Iraq war film. But the picture, about some GIs who’ve completed their tours of duty only to be told they’re being sent back to the front, still “strikes a universal chord that transcends politics,” writes Peter Travers in Rolling Stone . More »
- Deserters Fleeing War Go North—Again
  
  Washington Post | Mar 17, 08 3:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Iraq war deserters aren't crossing the Canadian border in VW buses, but they are trickling across—and connecting with Vietnam draft dodgers who made the same trek 4 decades ago. About 200 Iraq resisters have migrated north, the Washington Post reports. Some grew disillusioned in Baghdad; others went AWOL from boot camp. And both generations are lobbying the Canadian government to let the younger ones stay. More »
- GI Killed by German Police
  
  New York Times | Mar 15, 08 8:02 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A US Army soldier stationed in Germany was shot and killed by local police after holding his ex-girlfriend hostage, the New York Times reports. The unnamed soldier was located after the woman escaped; when he threatened a SWAT unit with an assault rifle, he was shot, and later died at a hospital. More »
- Wounded Warriors Saluted at Pentagon
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 13, 08 12:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A poignant and little-known ceremony featuring wounded vets is held privately indoors at the Pentagon every six weeks, reports the Wall Street Journal. It's called the "Wounded Warrior March." Hundreds of Defense Department employees line the corridors of the Pentagon to applaud, cheer, shake hands, or hug servicemen wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. More »
- Repeat Combat Tours Zap Troops' Mental Health
  
  Reuters | Mar 7, 08 3:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Cutting the time soldiers have between tours of duty helped the Pentagon boost troop numbers in Iraq—but has taken a heavy toll on soldiers' mental health, Reuters reports. An Army survey found a steep rise in mental health problems among soldiers returning for their third or fourth combat tour, and experts say the troops are not getting enough time to recover . "Soldiers are not resetting entirely before they get back into theater," said the head of the Army's mental health advisory team. More »
February 2008
- Soldier Suicides at Record High
  
  Reuters | Feb 1, 08 4:26 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A record number of US soldiers may have killed themselves last year and it's likely linked to the stresses of war, according to the latest figures from the military. The survey found 121 soldiers died in confirmed or suspected suicides last year, a 20% increase over the previous year and the highest number since the Army started keeping records 30 years ago. The number of attempted suicides has also leaped since the Iraq war began. More »
January 2008
- War Concussions Linked to Stress
  
  New York Times | Jan 30, 08
  
  About one in six combat troops returning from Iraq have suffered at least one concussion in the war, injuries that, while fleeting, could heighten their risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers are reporting.
- Homeless Vets Spark Outcry: Haven't We Learned?
  
  Associated Press | Jan 20, 08 4:22 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Iraq war veterans are suffering from stress, turning to alcohol, and falling into poverty—a fate that prompts some to ask whether the US has learned from tragedies of veterans past. Washington has identified 1,500 Iraq vets as homeless and helped about a third, but echoes of Vietnam persist among activists. "I'm like, wait, wait, hold it, we did this before," one said. "I don't know how our society can allow this to happen again." More »
- PTSD: Vets Wage Internal Wars
  
  New York Times | Jan 13, 08 10:04 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Records of post-traumatic stress disorder go as far back as The Odyssey, and Iraq veterans are adding to the list. Combat trauma has been repeatedly linked with rates of unemployment, substance abuse, domestic violence and criminality above the national average. Yet PTSD victims aren't getting the treatment they need, and often end up behind bars, the New York Times reports. More »
December 2007
- Army Lapses Led to Suicide of Mentally Ill Soldier
  
  Associated Press | Dec 20, 07 12:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Depressed and constantly reprimanded by his superiors, Pfc. Jason Scheuerman shot himself in his Iraq barracks in 2005—raising serious questions about how the military handles mental illness, the AP reports. Scheuerman's was one of a record 152 Army suicides in Afghanistan and Iraq, but his parents had to fight a reluctant military to piece together what led to their son’s death. More »
November 2007
- Vets' Mental Issues Slow to Surface: Study
  
  Washington Post | Nov 14, 07 12:36 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - US troops report worse mental health several months after returning from Iraq than immediately after getting home, an Army study shows. Upon return home, one general said, “you’re almost euphoric,” but later “the stress starts to resurface.” The study also found that National Guard reservists were at much greater risk of disorders than active-duty troops. More »
October 2007
- Veteran Stress Cases Surge
  
  USA Today | Oct 19, 07 6:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Department of Veterans Affairs reported treating 20,000 new cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a 12-month period ending in June, up an astounding 70% from the same time the previous year, reports USA Today . The VA counts a total of nearly 50,000 PTSD cases, and expects the number to grow. More »
August 2007
- Fatigue Cripples US Army in Iraq
  
  Guardian (UK) | Aug 12, 07
  
  Exhaustion and combat stress are besieging US troops in Iraq as they battle with a new type of warfare. Some even rely on Red Bull to get through the day. As desertions and absences increase, the military is struggling to cope with the crisis
- 'War Czar' Concerned Over Troop Stress, Mulls Draft
  
  NPR | Aug 11, 07 5:36 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Washington’s “War Czar” admits that it makes sense to a consider a military draft to relieve soldiers of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute tells NPR that the pressure point will come in spring, when Bush will have to juggle the nation's military needs versus the strain that wars are putting on US soldiers and their families. More »
- Long Combat Tours Take Mental Toll
  
  Guardian (UK) | Aug 3, 07 5:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Soldiers who serve extended tours in combat zones have much higher rates of alcoholism, post traumatic stress syndrome and problems at home, a large British study has found. Of those in war zones for more than 13 months over three years, one in four had "severe" alcohol problems, compared to one in 10 who served shorter deployments. More »
June 2007
- Army Hospital MIA on Stress Disorders
  
  Washington Post | Jun 18, 07 4:15 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Though 20 to 40 soldiers are sent home from Iraq each month with severe mental problems, the Army's largest hospital has no post-traumatic stress disorder center, reports the Washington Post . There is also a severe shortage of doctors qualified to treat these patients. Not long ago, the head of psychiatry sent a memo pleading for more staff. More »
March 2005
- The Soldier's Heart
  
  PBS | Mar 1, 05
  
  Military and mental health experts talk about war's psychological toll and how the military is handling the problem.

News Sections

Newser Specials

Stories

Army's Role in Iraq Turning Personal

Stop-Loss Earnest But Flawed

Deserters Fleeing War Go North—Again

GI Killed by German Police

Wounded Warriors Saluted at Pentagon

Repeat Combat Tours Zap Troops' Mental Health

Soldier Suicides at Record High

War Concussions Linked to Stress

Homeless Vets Spark Outcry: Haven't We Learned?

PTSD: Vets Wage Internal Wars

Army Lapses Led to Suicide of Mentally Ill Soldier

Vets' Mental Issues Slow to Surface: Study

Veteran Stress Cases Surge

Fatigue Cripples US Army in Iraq

'War Czar' Concerned Over Troop Stress, Mulls Draft

Long Combat Tours Take Mental Toll

Army Hospital MIA on Stress Disorders

The Soldier's Heart