Feeling Warehoused in Army Trauma Care Units

This is a spectacular article detailing the Army's ongoing problems. Here is an excerpt:

For many soldiers, they have become warehouses of despair, where damaged men and women are kept out of sight, fed a diet of powerful prescription pills and treated harshly by noncommissioned officers. Because of their wounds, soldiers in Warrior Transition Units are particularly vulnerable to depression and addiction, but many soldiers from Fort Carson’s unit say their treatment there has made their suffering worse.

This overmedication seems remarkably similiar to what I wrote about almost two years ago in June 2008:America's Medicated Army

McCain's Plan to Privatise Veterans' Healthcare

Based on limited personal experience and the accounts of friends that receive VA treatment the following statement by the author and analysis done by RAND seem odd to me:

...government doctors, who are nearly universally viewed as among the best in the world.... A recent study by the RAND Corporation found that "VA patients were more likely to receive recommended care" and "received consistently better care across the board, including screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up" than that delivered by other U.S. health care providers.

What is frightening is that most Americans think that veterans receive universal healthcare after they leave the service, which is not really true. Perhaps a VA card will be a decent option, but I think it is a step towards the government washing their hands of veterans' healthcare completely. "Thanks for your service, Joe, now go off to Veterans Island with your shaky marriage, your mental disorder, and whatever limbs you have left," says Uncle Sam. "Have no fear, though, this veterans' healthcare card will work with any doctor... don't worry, trust us. Oh yeah, and don't forget to take a box cutter and duct tape with you so you can build yourself a nice house. Don't complain either, or else we will call you up off of the IRR and send you back to war."

Homeless Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

Perhaps DoD will attempt to fix the problem in classifying veterans' disabilities when they leave the service. Instead of giving them a lower rating so they don't qualify for a retirement check and Tricare, perhaps they should... instead of just pushing them off onto the VA. "Oh the VA will take care of them," they think to themselves. Isn't the VA the same department that employs program coordinators that request staff refrain from diagnosing PTSD as much as they have been?

So if many veterans are receiving inadequate care and inaccurate mental health diagnoses perhaps this is a contributing factor towards a large homeless veterans population?! Just think of when in 30 years all of the veterans that have undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) start feeling the effects of all of the concussions that went unreported from IED attacks they experienced... we will have a crop of "punch drunk" homeless veterans on our hands.

This situation is occurring because the military industrial complex collectively said, "Hey, these vets chose to join and are looking for a handout... they should have just stayed in the military and done their 20 years. I did it, they should have too. None of those vets even go to college anyway, why should we support a new G.I. Bill? These vets going to the VA don't really have anything wrong with them. Screw them, their future career prospects, their mental health, and general well-being. Oh yeah, and no I don't have any money for a homeless vet. On another note, did I tell you that Northrop Grumman is making a new KC-45 Fuel Tanker for the Air Force? We NEED that fuel tanker NOW!!! Also, the ballistic missile defense shield just needs a trillion or so more dollars to be functional!!! Oh, did I tell you that right now I'm on (INSERT RETIRED GENERAL'S NAME HERE)'s team working on a new weapon system for (INSERT DEFENSE CONTRACTING COMPANY HERE) that should be ready by 2100 that can cripple the enemy using mind bullets - all without any collateral damage! By the way, do you want to go to the Army-Navy Club and get a round of golf in this weekend?"

America's Medicated Army

This article sums a problem with the ongoing conflict that noone thinks about on an everyday basis except maybe employers, who, in my opinion, are less inclined to hire war veterans because of the "crazy" stigma attached to them. "We can't hire him, he just got back from (insert America's current war - previously Vietnam, today Iraq/Afghanistan)." This is not a new phenomenon, but medicating the troops by the service itself so that they can continue to fight two draft-less wars is. Previously, troops would medicate themselves to deal with PTSD and anxiety disorders:

Here is an excerpt from "America's Medicated Army":

Nearly 30% of troops on their third deployment suffer from serious mental-health problems, a top Army psychiatrist told Congress in March. The doctor, Colonel Charles Hoge, added that recent research has shown the current 12 months between combat tours "is insufficient time" for soldiers "to reset" and recover from the stress of a combat tour before heading back to war.

Many are going on their third tour now... some their fourth and fifth. Add this to understrength units deploying, troops suffering from PTSD and anxiety disorders being medicated to continue to deploy, 3,000 captains leaving the Army, and a lack of field grade leadership seems to indicate an Army in crisis.

Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery

This was just released and I have not had a chance to read it (498 pages). This report is available for free download from RAND here.