After some forty years of ignoring what always has been, and not only related to soldiers sent into war theaters but those civilians who experience the many extreme trauma's in their own lives, after many of us, with the help of a few civilians mostly from that times anti-war movement, returning Veterans of Vietnam fought to get it finally recognized it still isn't understood!
As to Soldiers, and then Veterans of, it isn't the only ignored major issue some come back with, think 'Agent Orange' or how about from the first Gulf War 'Gulf War Syndrome', or with these two those suffering from the 'Burn Pits' of both, as to just a few of oh so many. This time it's two wars and over a decade of No Sacrifice by the country, told to go shopping as they get a tiny tax cut while gas prices start rising and rising, nor Demand they should, added to the previous decades of same and leading to constant Veterans Administration underfunding thus costing much much much more in constantly trying to catch up to the needs with the very quick influx of returning war soldiers with every war of choice. And what comes with each, the peoples reps lay blame for anything bad reported on the Agency as the people do same, even some veterans in our community of, never looking in the mirror nor what their responsibility is as they wave those flags and purchase cheap symbols of 'patriotism' or so they call it that, like sports team memorabilia with the cheers that die down after the game is over!
Mar 18, 2012 - The killing of 16 Afghan civilians last Sunday is now one of the greatest tension points between the United States and Afghanistan. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly killed the civilians in cold blood; those close to him say they were shocked by the news.
snip Screening With Uncertainty
Gen. Peter Chiarelli spent the last couple years of his military career working to help troops returning from combat with invisible wounds of war like post-traumatic stress.
He retired from the military in January, ending a four-decade career as a vice chief of staff of the Army. He is now the CEO of One Mind for Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding cures for brain disorders.
snip Stamping Out Stigma
But Chiarelli is also careful not to stereotype.
"What worries me when we talk about this, more than anything else, is that there's a tendency to kind of paint a brush across every single soldier, male and female, who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and think that they have come back with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury. That's simply not the case," he says.
Misconceptions can spread into other areas of the veterans' lives, like when they talk to employers. Stigma may make some employers think twice about hiring someone who fought for years in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Balancing between raising awareness and combating stigma can be a tricky task.
snip Whose Responsibility?
The commander on the ground, he says, has a responsibility to look out for the mental health of those under his command.
snip "I get upset when people start throwing numbers around about the number of people that are affected. I promise you, all the numbers are far less than the real number," Chiarelli says. "Because for every soldier that's out there that has a family, you multiply that number by the size of their family. That's why we have got to find a way to properly diagnose and treat these diseases." read more>>>
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