General David Patraeus, the U.S.’s top military commander in Iraq, stated he was “very concerned” about the trend of ethical behavior displayed by troops in the region. Perhaps this admittance was influenced by reports that as many as one-third of troops employed torture techniques, and that the majority of military surveyed would not turn in a colleague for doing so.

This, amid heated controversy over an increasingly unpopular war, military returning home with psychological impairments, stories of U.S. soldiers torturing detainees at Abu Graib, and President Bush’s plan to add more to the roughly 20,000 additional troops he sent to Iraq earlier this year.

Six thousand National Guard troops from Texas (not including those on active duty) have been deployed since 2004, originally from all areas of the state — from the larger cities of Dallas, Houston, and Austin, to the smaller towns on the plains.

The uncontrollable elements of guerrilla warfare, like roadside bombings and mortar attacks, impose great stress. It’s no wonder that so many soldiers are influenced by, and are returning home with, psychological problems and neuropsychological impairments.

While it may be easy to blame troops for unscrupulous actions, it should also be recognized that they are dealing with conditions of “lack of control” and “limited progress,” elements that most psychologists admit will drive many to uncharacteristic behavior, particularly when faced with life or death situations.

According to even the military’s own psychologists, Colonel Carl Castro and Major Dennis McGurk, troops may be under more stress than those who served in either World War II or Vietnam. Many are working twelve to eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, for months on end, with no “safe zone” to return to unless it’s on a large, heavily guarded base — to which many of the troops do not have immediate access.

At no other time in U.S. history have so many served under such conditions. The impact of their psychological impairments could be significant for the health care and health insurance industries in years to come.

The longer one is deployed, and the faster he or she has to return to active duty, the higher the risk of mental health issues, reports also indicated. These problems are highest among those who experienced close combat, at 30%. And though health care professionals recommend eighteen to thirty-six months at home before returning to the war-zone, troops get an average of twelve months, with rumors that tours will extend to fifteen months, up from the previous twelve.

Jennifer J. Vasterling, Ph.D., of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, evaluated 961 troops before deployment to, and within 73 days after returning home from, Iraq. After comparing to a control group of similarly-profiled military who did not deploy, her team concluded that these returning veterans, overall, experienced mild verbal learning, sustained attention, and visual-spatial memory impairments, as well as “negative effects on measures of confusion and tension.” Findings were relevant even after accounting for head injuries, stress, and depression. Such impairments, even if mild, reflect neural dysfunction and may have marked effects on day-to-day life and future occupations, including military positions. These impairments have a “negative (effect on) performance in high-pressure contexts, such as subsequent war-zone participation.”

Reports vary on the precise number of troops returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan with psychological issues. Some statistics state that only 13% suffer from mental health problems, while others say 17% are afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) alone. That’s already 2% higher than Vietnam veterans, and as many as 80% of those with PTSD from the Vietnam War also suffer from alcohol dependence. This doesn’t bode well for current military, though researchers in the mental health community are hoping to deal with these issues before substance abuse problems occur.

That’s tough when only one in five who screen positive for PTSD by the military are actually referred for follow-up evaluations. It is believed many more slip through screening altogether. Unfortunately for many veterans, such disorders are often only recognized after destructive behavior (like Driving Under the Influence charges), demotions, and relationship problems manifest. Analysts believe that part of the problem is due to poor psychological evaluations before deployment, and waiting too long after war-zone exposure before conducting psychological screenings.

Thankfully, there is some hope to improve conditions. Michael J. O’Rourke, the Assistant Director of Healthcare Policy for Veterans of Foreign Wars, says that shortening the length of tours may help, even if their frequency increases. Making a concerted effort to supply “safe zones,” as well as reducing the number of hours per week, may also relieve some of the stress.

No one in his or her right mind would claim war is the healthiest thing to do psychologically. Whatever one’s opinion on the current state of political events, however, most would agree that safeguarding the permanent health and welfare of these individuals should be at the forefront of government strategy, ensuring that not only as many troops as possible return home, but also that they return home with all their faculties.

Watching out for your mental health is paramount to overall physical well-being. How you take care of yourself will certainly affect you as you age, and eventually your wallet, as well.



By: Pat Carpenter

About the Author:

Since Israel became a state in 1948, has been on guard against invaders from all sides, surrounded by lifelong enemies seeking its destruction. A country, which is small always seeking a stable and peaceful relations with its neighbor in the area. For over fifty-nine years Israel, which believes in peaceful co-exissistance, has been waging a losing battle with its neighbors to stop their aggression. A longtime for any country to be concern for its security and its survival.

During the first war in 1991, between the US and Iraq, they endured Scuds missiles bombing attacks from Saddam Hussein against their homeland. They suffered destruction and lose of life; it is difficult to stand by idle while receiving missile over your head knowing they are killing your people, and not be able to retaliate because asked not to. You would think a country so small, and be under so much pressure for so long would be use to it by now. I cannot begin to imagine the frightening experience everyone goes through every day that lives in that country. Yet they go on with their normal every day lives with strive and perseverance

Israel has shown, and exercises self-restraint, more so than any other country in the region. Showing the rest of the World, they could endure hardship and misery just as they had done during the World War II and centuries before. Still be victorious by not retaliating when the US asked not to during the war with Iraq. It takes a great people, a great Nation to be well discipline-exercising self-restraint in moments of great personal danger and misfortune. The confusion they face while getting up every morning while going on with their daily routine in trying to live a normal life must be horrendous.

When Saddam Hussein started to expand its philosophy of tyranny after the Iraq, Iran War: It would have being but a matter time before he would have attacked Israel causing an incident more disastrous than he could have imagined. More so than when he invaded Kuwait. The cruel and deadly treatment he exercised against his own people while he was the Dictator is on record for all to read.

He proved to have had weapons of mass destruction when he used poisonous gas killing thousands of people in the Northern Part of Iraq. There are rumors that he used it against Iranian soldiers during his conflict with Iran. When realizing the United States would eventually be on his doorsteps, he had no other choice but to have them transported to Syria. He had them placed in under ground bunkers somewhere in the desert. One of his former General who new and was aware of their locations revealed this information to the public. It would have only been a matter of time before Saddam Hussein would have expanded his power by further using them against Israel and becoming a menace in the entire region. In miscalculating his political actions, and causing bad relations with the US, Saddam Hussein brought on his own destruction and that of his country.

However, the real threat was not Iraq but Iran; they are the ones causing all the problems in the region, they were doing it before, they are doing it now. They are the ones responsible for all turmoil in the area. They are the ones who are training all the outside fighters who are coming into Iraq to kill our soldiers. They are the ones that want to see Israel wiped off from the face of the Earth with the good old USA. Iran if left uncheck, will eventually run over the Middle East and in time challenge the USA in a Nuclear War: They will first strike Israel with nuclear weapons, and use it as an excuse to fight against the USA. They are fanatics who believe that their way is the only and right way. They know we will not hesitate to come to the aid of Israel and that is what they are seeking, the end to civilization as we know it.

Iran is the Country everyone should be concern with because they have a fanatical and crazy agenda behind their religious believes. They believe they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Their main objective is turning the Middle East into a ball of fire or a burning inferno. They believe, by killing themselves and taking as much of the so call infidels with them they will reach heaven and have 60 virgins waiting for them. How sad in knowing there are people with such low-level of intelligence who believing such nonsense and false expectation:

Now it looks as if they may have the ability and the means to do it. The more they keep talking, the more they keep stalling. This allows them more time in which they can complete building the bomb. Once they have it, they will use it. These people do not discriminate between the races; they offer equal opportunity to erase everyone on this planet with their nuclear bomb. They will use them there is no doubt about it…

In addition, if that was not bad enough, you have Mr. Chavez, from Venezuela and Castro from Cuba, joining forces with this nut from Iran in these search for Islamic Utopia.

I call on the people of the United States, Citizens of the World, wake up… wake up… wake up. Our government should be at its highest alert, which is red. An ounce of prevention could well mean our survival. We must not aloud this to happen. Not to Israel, not to any other country and certainty not the good old USA:

We must not allow ourselves to be surprise with our pants down when the bombs are flying overhead. We must stop them now, because then it will be too late. It must be a joint effort between several countries, not just the great USA… END.



By: Dr. Reinaldo Irizarry, Sr., Ph.D

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