[Vision2020] PTSD

[James Reynolds]

I have come to understand Mr. Nisbet that you don't care what is right or 
wrong you just don't want to face facts that are not acceptable to your 
scheme of things. Your inability to face information squarely and honestly 
leads you to discredit whoever for whatever with misleading statements and 
falsehoods. I don't mind if you are misinformed but don't be dragging me 
down your slide of ignorance.


You wrote this today.

"The poster, James Reynolds, suggested that all persons who went
through infantry training were going to end up with no feeling for
their fellow man and that all persons who underwent combat
situations would succumb to PTSD and be permanently disabled"

Below is the complete posting from me to which you refer.

(Submitted by J.R.)
" The article Mr. Hansen posted this morning concerning Post Traumatic 
Stress
Disorder should open our eyes to the full impact of what military actions
entail. A front line soldier coming back to try and fit into society gets
the headlines but he is only a small part of the entire tragedy. There are
no clear cut fixes for PTSD because there has been a fundamental shift in
how that soldier fits into society. He has undergone training and situations
that have reduced the fundamental sacred nature of life to its biological
simplicity and the soldier's own life as worthless.

If a child goes through infantry training it is taught that it is no better
than a bug and that its life is forfeit to the country. Our own boys and
girls become expendable objects for our Commander-in-Chief to do with as he
pleases. This training and the final mindset is mandatory for a good army.

If we add the fact that the current war (as Vietnam) has no clear
justification, no clear enemy, and no clear victories what we end up
bringing home are many, many, many messed up young people.

We have to put ourselves in the boots of our young soldiers. We need to
think about ourselves being trained to understand our lives are nothing; put
ourselves into a foreign land surrounded by our potential killer every
minute. We have to make the greatest effort to give these young people their
humanity back.

A non-justified war means nothing more than a sentence of death or the loss
of humanity to our children without any benefit to the Nation. How can
anyone support such a war? What is our nation becoming? We allow our
children to be sent to death or destruction on the words of liars and by the
deceptions of war profiteers and then allow these same maggots to take our
money from the treasury to line their pockets while declining to allow the
best care for our young soldiers when they come back to us.
(END of JR post)

Where is it that I suggested what you claim?

You should try thinking before you spout off. Or at least attempt 
rationality when you do post.

Anyone supporting the current mess in Iraq is an idiot Mr Nisbet, is that 
what is really bothering you?

James Reynolds
Moscow


>Richard
>
>The question was not if vets coming back from Iraq would suffer from PTSD, 
>but the overall effect that it would have on vets in general.  The poster, 
>James Reynolds, suggested that all persons who went through infantry 
>training were going to end up with no feeling for their fellow man and that 
>all persons who underwent combat situations would succumb to PTSD and be 
>permanently disabled.
>
>The various vets on this list noted that PTSD is a serious problem but that 
>the chronic form of PTSD that requires long term treatment only effects 30% 
>of PTSD patients and the malady is not something that causes anybody to be 
>a dangerous person or a person likely to become a street bum, which is the 
>kind of thing that the ill informed seem to think.
>
>Your figure of 17% is extremely high.  The studies that I have seen put the 
>rate at between 8-10% and that for frontline combat troops.  Since 4% is 
>the average in the US population and what is also typical of non-combat 
>related PTSD's, the figure for Viet Nam Vets and preliminary figures for 
>Iraq War vets are pretty near in sync.  There should be around 6000-7000 
>troops who will suffer chronic PTSD that will take treatment for many years 
>to come.  The rest of the PTSD sufferers will recover within 6 months, some 
>with treatment, but the bulk without.
>
>The 7000 cases of chronic PTSD will require care to the tune of $40,000 a 
>year per man and the vets on the list noted that they are deserving of 
>disability and treatment costs just as those who are physically wounded.  
>There are no Purple Hearts for the guys who end up with PTSD, but they are 
>as wounded by action as any who took a round.  Regardless of what any 
>person feels about Iraq or action in the Middle East, they need to support 
>the long term care for those who served.
>
>And critically, people need to treat all the troops returning from action 
>with dignity.  The Viet Nam experience need not be repeated and these young 
>troops can move more readily back into life if they are given respect.  
>That is especially true of the guys with PTSD.
>
>Phil Nisbet
>
>
>
>>From: "Richard Schmidt" <44schmidt at earthlink.net>
>>To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>Subject: [Vision2020] PTSD
>>Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 07:48:51 -0500
>>
>>Within the past couple weeks some misinformed person made the statement 
>>that PTSD was not a problem with the servicemen serving in Afghanistan and 
>>Iraq. Please read the article at  
>>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/29/MNGMHGVCEV1.DTL 
>>     which ends with:
>>
>>
>>Veterans and stress
>>Post-traumatic stress disorder is an ailment resulting from exposure to an 
>>experience involving direct or indirect threat of serious injury or death. 
>>Symptoms include recurrent thoughts of a traumatic event, reduced 
>>involvement in work or outside interests, hyper alertness, anxiety and 
>>irritability.
>>
>>About 317,000 veterans diagnosed with the disorder were treated at 
>>Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and clinics in fiscal year 
>>2005. Nearly 19,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were seen 
>>for the disorder in veterans' medical centers and Vet Centers from fiscal 
>>year 2002 to 2005.
>>
>>A recent study of soldiers and Marines who had served in Iraq and 
>>Afghanistan found that about 17 percent met criteria for post-traumatic 
>>stress disorder, depression, or generalized anxiety disorder. Of those 
>>whose responses were positive for a mental disorder, 40 percent or fewer 
>>actually received help while on active duty.
>>
>>For more information, contact your local veterans facility, call (877) 
>>222-VETS.
>

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