Battle Fatigue and Suicide

Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Toxicologist and Pharmacologist.

Salem-News.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Oregonian, the Associated Press, the VA and Army are constantly printing what a good job they all are doing about battle veterans, PTSD and suicide. In the first place it isn’t “battle fatigue” it’s TERROR FATIGUE.

For some “on the job” training for psychologists, try being a point man or on a mission to find a highly efficient sniper; make that two snipers in widely separated built-up housing areas. Every time you move you get shot at. Try this a couple times a week or maybe a month. Just like in Iraq.

The November 1st 2007 article in the Oregonian most likely has it underreported and wrong again. They say 238 veterans out of the Army committed suicide between 2001 and 2005 and 147 killed themselves while in Iraq. The latter figure is a fallacy.

When a group of soldiers is repeatedly ordered to attack, often without artillery or mortar support, most get the idea “I just can’t do this anymore.” They hope for a “million dollar wound” which will get them out of the front line and back to almost anyplace else. Seven soldiers are “supporting” one rifleman on the front lines. Those “supporting” soldiers get the best food, clothes, houses to sleep in and warm beds. None of which frontline riflemen had or even hoped for Instead they think, “Let’s go for a wound to get me out of here.”

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If that isn’t a suicidal thought, what in the hell is it? Very few were lucky to survive.

The Army Infantry brainwashes its recruits during basic training with what they call “Warrior’s Spirit.” “Damn the torpedoes (enemy artillery)! Full speed ahead!” The damnedest thing is that one’s own artillery is cheaper than the insurance death benefits. “Maybe if we don’t alert the enemy with artillery barrage, we can surprise them and get through.” Bush Wah!! It doesn’t work.

Even the Army knows that about 30 percent of frontline troops will get PTSD and for multiple deployments it goes to 50 percent. The worst thing is that multiple successive deployments get worse and worse in the minds of the soldiers. I think the “flip out” percentage is much higher.

No psychologist is going to convince a frontline dogface that going back up into the line is going to be OK. It just isn’t OK.

I read that only one in four medical evacuations is from combat injuries. Lucky bastards I say. In the meantime, we’re going to see an avalanche of long term PTSD cases and suicides which we aren’t even ready for.

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