Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
VETERANS
Truly honoring their service
The war in Afghanistan has passed a sobering milestone, Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted recently. It is now the longest conflict in U.S. history fought by all-volunteer forces, having surpassed the Revolutionary War.
The toll of this conflict, and the one in Iraq, on so many of those volunteers and their families has been enormous, as it always is in war. It’s encouraging, however, that the government finally is working to honor their sacrifices by dealing more earnestly with what some call the “invisible wounds of war” — psychological injuries.
Gates’ comment on the length of the Afghanistan war, for example, came during a “Mental Health Summit” last month convened by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Gates blasted a government and military bureaucracy that is “frustrating, adversarial and unnecessarily complex,” even for those who seek help, according to The New York Times.
Gates and Shinseki have committed their departments to overcoming such barriers, dealing more effectively with injuries that were often ignored in the past, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — perhaps the signature injury in the current wars, where improvised explosives are a leading weapon.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has spoken out recently about the risks of such roadside bombs. He’s reportedly pushing a policy that could pull military personnel who suffer up to three concussions during a deployment out of further combat duty.
And the defense authorization bill signed last month by President Obama includes mandatory mental-health screenings for every returning servicemember. It also increases the number of mental-health providers in the military.
The need for such provisions was underscored by a recent RAND Corporation study that detailed many of the military’s and VA’s shortcomings in mental-health care. The study estimated that 18.5 percent of those returning from deployment reported symptoms associated with PTSD or depression, but that specialty care for such problems is unavailable in many parts of the country. The study also concluded that many providers of such services lack sufficient training, as well as familiarity with military culture and combat-related disorders.
Words of gratitude to our veterans ring hollow if the promises we make to them aren’t kept. Through their selfless service, they earn the right to world-class treatment for the injuries they suffer on our behalf — physical and psychological. They should expect, and our government should provide, no less.
The toll of this conflict, and the one in Iraq, on so many of those volunteers and their families has been enormous, as it always is in war. It’s encouraging, however, that the government finally is working to honor their sacrifices by dealing more earnestly with what some call the “invisible wounds of war” — psychological injuries.
Gates’ comment on the length of the Afghanistan war, for example, came during a “Mental Health Summit” last month convened by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Gates blasted a government and military bureaucracy that is “frustrating, adversarial and unnecessarily complex,” even for those who seek help, according to The New York Times.
Gates and Shinseki have committed their departments to overcoming such barriers, dealing more effectively with injuries that were often ignored in the past, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury — perhaps the signature injury in the current wars, where improvised explosives are a leading weapon.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has spoken out recently about the risks of such roadside bombs. He’s reportedly pushing a policy that could pull military personnel who suffer up to three concussions during a deployment out of further combat duty.
And the defense authorization bill signed last month by President Obama includes mandatory mental-health screenings for every returning servicemember. It also increases the number of mental-health providers in the military.
The need for such provisions was underscored by a recent RAND Corporation study that detailed many of the military’s and VA’s shortcomings in mental-health care. The study estimated that 18.5 percent of those returning from deployment reported symptoms associated with PTSD or depression, but that specialty care for such problems is unavailable in many parts of the country. The study also concluded that many providers of such services lack sufficient training, as well as familiarity with military culture and combat-related disorders.
Words of gratitude to our veterans ring hollow if the promises we make to them aren’t kept. Through their selfless service, they earn the right to world-class treatment for the injuries they suffer on our behalf — physical and psychological. They should expect, and our government should provide, no less.
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