Bingo, xzins.
Back to SSGt Bales......katiedidit1 brought up effect of drugs being prescribed for PTSD, pain, etc. As soon as I heard SSGt Bales had no knowledge of what happened, it got me wondering about the possibility of the influence of drugs (prescription type). I’ve heard reports of troops been prescribed a cocktail of drugs for PTSD/depression/anxiety whatever with no real oversight from a doctor in the field, AND being kept on active duty.
There are some serious flaws in how our military handles mental health issues, especially in the field.
It has to be heartbreaking for his loved ones to try to understand what might have happened.
Sleepwalking.
I agree that more could be done by way of mental health treatment for troops. One group I was part of had it’s own group Chaplain (me) and a group Psychologist and our own doc.
It was a great team, and our Psych, a real human being, knew when to back off and when to push.
The real culprit in my mind, though, is how we fight wars in this year long rotation between terror and normalcy. WWII was the last war the US fought correctly....all out until unconditional surrender of the enemy.
It is not humane to give a troop a year long rest between assignments in an 11 year war. It is a prescription for the mentally sound to become borderline, for the average to become incapacitated, and for the borderline to become psychotic.
I can't imagine how a doctor would give a man with part of his foot missing and brain trauma a green light to go back on a fourth tour in the war zone. It is heartwrenching