Support the Troops: Treatment Instead of Jail for Returning Vets

READ MORE: Iraq, 2006, Mark Foley

This Saturday, our Republicans and Democrats in office will again be urging us to "support the troops" in commemoration of Veterans' Day. Doubtless, they will talk about our brave men and woman risking their lives to defend America and our way of life.

Upon closer inspection, however, I find the sincerity of most elected officials' "support" for the troops approximating the hypocrisy of Mark Foley and Ted Haggard as the guardians of "family values."

A November 2 front-page story in USA Today reported that veterans coming off active duty in Iraq who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are being punished by the military for misconduct, and dishonorably discharged without receiving medical benefits needed to treat this severe disorder.

Lt. Col. Colby Vokey, who supervises the legal defense of Marines, told USA Today that scores of Marines are being dismissed without receiving the much-needed benefits. "When classic symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder arise--including alcoholism and drug abuse--the veterans are punished for their behavior... The Marine Corps has created these mental heath issues" in combat veterans, Vokey told USA Today. "And then we just kind of kick them out into the streets."

When one imagines what it is like to fight in Iraq, it is not hard to think that many returning vets will self-medicate to cope with the trauma of war. What is it like to be shot at and know that each day could be your last? How does one deal with the pain of seeing friends die in your arms? What does killing other human beings do to one's emotional stability? >>>cont

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