Is the Army deliberately sitting on the report? Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s just focusing on other priorities in rebuilding Iraq and preparing to hand back sovereignty to its citizens. No one would argue these aren’t massive missions. And, to be sure, the vast majority of soldiers, even those exposed to the most grotesque and horrific combat trauma, may experience only mild post-traumatic stress disorder that requires minor counseling before they bounce back. But evidence suggests that a wave of combat-fatigued soldiers–as many as 20 percent of the 130,000 troops in the field–not seen since the aftermath of the Vietnam War is about to come crashing onto American shores.
Late last year, publicity about the spate of suicides among U.S. troops in Iraq prompted Gen. John Abizaid and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top commanders in Iraq, to look for causes. But the report has been complete for months. Yet the colonel in charge of the study can’t convince either general to allow him to brief them on the findings, which, Pentagon sources told NEWSWEEK recently, are not exactly earth-shattering. It says a total of 19 soldiers serving in the Iraq campaign committed suicide in 2003, a number that officials acknowledge is “above average.” What’s more interesting is what the study ignores. NEWSWEEK has learned that it did not touch on the issue of Lariam, the anti-malaria drug that causes psychotic episodes in a small percentage of people who take it. It had been cited as a potential cause of three prominent murder-suicides at Ft. Bragg, N.C., where soldiers returned from combat in Afghanistan and killed their wives. The Army issued a report dismissing Lariam, but the investigation was cursory and less than conclusive, according to a senior officer at the Army Medical Command in San Antonio, Tex.
Another problem: According to Army sources in Iraq and in the United States, the report’s findings underplay the state of mind of soldiers in Iraq. In a development common to the U.S. armed forces, the colonel in charge of the research team was told what he wanted to hear by savvy officers, according to a source close to the investigation. A few members of combat stress teams have soft-pedaled the extent of the problem, according to soldiers in Iraq. “The colonel was schmoozed by the officers reporting to him,” says NEWSWEEK’s source. Official Army spokespeople did not return calls for comment.
This could develop into a problem for the Army. For one, it could present the Army with a public relations problem down the road, if not around the next bend. Many of the soldiers serving in Iraq have begun rotating home after 12 to 24-month tours of duty. It’s unclear what kind of psychological fallout there’ll be from a war that still divides the U.S. public. “There’s very good likelihood of a lot more PTSD,” than the military saw after the 1991 Gulf War, says Dr. Brett Litz, associate director of the National Center for PTSD. The reasons are apparent. The Iraq occupation is an extended guerrilla war, without a front or rear. Countless civilians have been killed and maimed. “There’s a larger sense of horror from the use of overwhelming force and seeing civilians suffer,” Litz says. “That can leave an enduring mark on men and women.” Add to that the mission’s large number of citizen-soldiers in the Army Reserve and National Guard, who are returning to curious communities who can’t relate to their experiences.
Ultimately, the Army’s crew of mental health professionals may be too small. It has about 110 psychiatrists, 130 social workers and 120 psychologists for its approximately 500,000 active-duty soldiers. “That’s pretty bare bones,” said Col. Rene Robichaux, the former chief of the Department of Social Work at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Tex., who retired Jan. 1. And what about the soldiers’ families back home in garrison? “We don’t have enough psychiatry resources for family members either,” Robichaux said. That could be a problem for stressed-out husbands and wives who return to the arms, and frayed nerves, of their loved ones after a year away from home.
WAR STORIES MAIL CALL
Last week Martha Brant questioned whether military families–and soldiers– had changed their minds about the Iraq war because WMD has yet to be found. The majority of letters we received still supported the war. A sampling: Name: Patty Presley
Hometown: Red Bud
I don’t agree with the story of Suarez speaking out against the war and the President because of his son’s death. My son has only been in Iraq for about 3 weeks. I asked him before he left if he believed in what he was doing and if he stood behind the President. He said yes I do, if we don’t stop people like Saddam we will have more terrorist acts in the United States. I feel sorry for Mr. Suarez and I hope I never have to experience what he has, but I must say that I believe in my son and I will stand behind him. Everyone must remember how we gained the freedom that we have and the Soldiers that have died all over the world giving us that freedom. Weapons of mass destruction were probably there and moved to another country before we even got there, or may even still be there, but just not found yet. I am sure the people of Iraq that have been tortured find our presence a blessing.
Name: Dolores Gorton
Hometown: Viola, AR 72583
I agree 500% with this article! I opposed the war in Iraq; and it breaks my heart to hear almost daily of our military men and women getting killed and wounded; often with limbs blown off–for what: so Bush and his cronies can get oil and become richer at the expense of American lives and families! My son is going to Iraq this summer and I pray daily for his safety and the safety of all military personnel!!! As Americans, we have to protest and fight this injustice of using National Guards for combat! We have to continue to protest and demonstrate against the War in Iraq because public opinion is the major force that put an end to the Vietnam War. The War in Iraq is another Vietnam because America did not know the history, the language, the culture, or the ethnicity of the people in Iraq!!!
Name: Bob Hughes
Hometown: Grass Valley, CA
We mourn the loss of any American who has given the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation but the cause is just regardless of whether we have found WMDs. My son is just finishing a year in Iraq with the 2-70 AR and while he had close calls he is returning. I am proud of him and his service but had he made the ultimate sacrifice it too would have been for a just cause. In times of grief it is easy to point fingers or lay blame but the truth of the matter is if our brave soldiers don’t take care of business elsewhere in the world the war will come to us here and it’s safe to assume that those who oppose war will cower in the face of the enemy and desire to hand this country over to those who hate who we are and what we have. Regardless the rest of us will continue to stand up, to go ourselves or send our sons and daughters to protect their right to oppose the protection of our nation and it’s citizens from the tyrants and terrorists who grow in numbers everyday.
