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A Veteran's Day even sadder than most

THE EMERGING stories about the background of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, acused of killing 13 military personnel at Fort Hood last week, should not obscure the importance of the story he shares with too many others: the extraordinary demands on mind, body and spirit that we impose on our military men and women, and the often deadly ways that our soldiers cope with those demands.

In Hasan's case, the pressure of being deployed to Afghanistan is one of the factors cited in his deterioration, although the picture is getting muddier as news of his communication with a militant imam emerges. And that's too bad, because in so many other ways, Hasan's case should keep our attention focused on the increasing psychic damage to our troops.

Then again, we don't have to look far for other symbols of the extraordinary pressures of modern warfare.

In fact, this is not the first time Fort Hood has been the site of violence. Since the Iraq and Afghanistan war began, the area surrounding the Texas base has seen a 75 percent increase in domestic abuse, according to a New York Times report. Crime is up. And this year alone, 10 people assigned to Fort Hood commited suicide; and since 2003, 76 from that base have commited suicide.

Military families face pressures that were unimaginable even a decade ago: Because of the large number of reservists who are called up, men and women who are subject to multiple deployments, families are being disrupted and sometimes shattered at a shocking rate. That doesn't even speak to the complexities of the 21st-century battles we expect our military to fight: wars in places with ill-defined boundaries and complicated enemies, amid wavering public support.

We have a hard enough time trying to fathom the deaths that occur in battle; the domestic deaths from violent acts like homicide and suicide can only conjure shock and despair. A rash of recent reports on increases in mental-health problems among vets and active military show that the toll is accumulating. One report issued in July found that more than a third of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans were diagnosed with mental-health problems, usually post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

Fortunately, funding has increased for veterans' health; from 1995 to 2009, funding for the Veterans Health Administration rose 154 percent. And President Obama recently signed the Veterans Health Care reform bill that will stop the budget delays that plagued the Veterans Administration's medical centers and clinics.

Still, those budget increases will be offset by cuts at the state levels for veterans programs.

But budgets are only one element in this problem. The devastating human toll that these wars take on so many needs to be a much bigger factor when we weigh whether we fight, how we fight, whom we ask to fight, and for how long. The support we give our trooops must increase.

None of this is easy. For example, at least three of Hasan's victims were therapists, about to be deployed to help soldiers cope in Afghanistan. *

 

Comments   
Posted 04:46 AM, 11/11/2009
JerseyRotgut
sad sad sad when you don't recognize the Marine Corps on their birthday that started in THIS city. rotten rotten shame shame on you
Posted 07:14 AM, 11/11/2009
brian stewart
It makes you wonder who is in charge, if one third of the vets coming back have mental problems, who let them in in the first place,isn't there any screening of the people who join the army, take this muslin for example, his whole career was a mess bad performence ratings being investigated by the government and then they promote the guy to major, somebody missed the boat on this guy, plus why do we have muslins in the us army it would seem that you have to watch your back along with the bad guys, are we taht hars up that we need non citizens to fight for our country, its time to bring back the draft and start getting some smart people in the service.we should be like israel mandatory service for anyone over 18.
Posted 07:55 AM, 11/11/2009
Magistra
The best thing to do is NOT start wars of choice in the first place. Now that we are involved in two wars of choice...time to get our troops out of there. Nation building in other lands is not our first priority when we have dire needs right here. Soldiers should not have to carry the burden of unnecessary warfare. Let's make veterans out of all those in harm's way today by bringing them home and welcoming them with open arms.
Posted 09:05 AM, 11/11/2009
cosrivron2
Well, you (DN) were able to tow the leftist line with your 'Hasan is the victim'. It's your opinion, and that's why you'll go under. I'm sure you'll probably end up with a bailout so you can still spread the party lies.
Posted 09:13 AM, 11/11/2009
billreilly
We started the war in Afghanistan?
Posted 09:16 AM, 11/11/2009
bill at
"...although the picture is getting muddier as news of his communication with a militant imam emerges." No, the picture is becoming much CLEARER now that the facts are emerging. The "muddy" in this picture is a result of left wing Democrat media sycophants like yourselves desperately rushing to spin the story that you WANTED this to be. You didn't want to hear that this guy may have been involved with radical !slam. You didn't want to hear that he shouted the infamous 'god is great' cry before slaughtering these brave Americans. No, you desperately needed to convince anyone still listening that this was not terrorism, so you spun a ridiculous story devoid of all the facts. Now, the emerging facts "muddy" the picture? You're infants, the whole lot of you. Journalism is officially dead. And none of you will be missed when this fish wrap finally dies.
Posted 10:22 AM, 11/11/2009
abnrgr
It was difficult to concentrate on this article after the opening paragraph listed this terrorist as the "accused" killer. What accused?! He did it! I agree, we should be selective in who and how we fight. Let's keep it simple. You attack me, I eliminate you with the least loss to my country. I am willing to kill 10, no 1000, no 1million of my enemy. I don't care if some of them are innocent. We glorify the greatest generation and the war they fought. They fought to win, not to fight a politically correct war.
Posted 10:54 AM, 11/11/2009
billreilly
How's this for clear.. Hasan once gave an hour long briefing at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital. At that time he explained that nonbelievers should be beheaded or have boiling oil poured down their throats and set on fire. How inconvenient for the leftist wacko's. I'm suprised the Army didn't make him a General...
Posted 10:54 AM, 11/11/2009
Magistra
billreilly :"We started the war in Afghanistan?" Afghanistan never attacked us. We invaded because the Taliban was sheltering Osama bin Laden, who has since fled the country. Should we now invade Pakistan where he is now hiding or the next country on his itinerary or the next? AlQaeda is like oooblick. It has no flag or territory, only holes where they hide. We are engaged in nation building in Afghanistan, propping up an illicit regime. That is where we came in. It will never end until we recognize the futility of it all and withdraw.
Posted 11:53 AM, 11/11/2009
John Gualt
Barely a week after the event and already the liberal spin machine is breaking down. From the start, the MSM closed ranks to protect their guy in the WH but in the end the entire Left is going to take a bath on this one.Obama said not to jump to conclusions (unlike his thoughtful consideration MA cops are stupid), but we knew in our gut as a nation these shootings weren’t a clear-cut case of someone going postal. The only ones not getting the truth are those leftists here and others of their vile ilk.There is much more to come.
Posted 12:26 PM, 11/11/2009
billreilly
Magistra: The Taliban was giving safe haven to Al Qaeda, who ran wild in the 90's during the Clinton Administration. That crowd considered it a law enforcement problem. The 9-11 attacks were planned and put into motion from Afghanistan. We need to ensure that it does not again become a launch pad for terrorist attacks. I believe those bases had to be taken out. That said, as a war veteran myself, I'm not sure more troops are the answer. Have a nice veterans day...
Posted 01:35 PM, 11/11/2009
constantine
While we've heard of soldiers who have shot people after they returned from duty, have we heard of a soldier, let alone physician, who shot anyone before they were deployed? What other soldier has killed so many people so deliberately? What other US military figure has purposefully shot patients and health care professionals in a healthcare facility? This man had been an Islamic extremist for years, had contact with other extremists and terrorists, planned this, screamed "Allahu Akhbar," and then massacred over 50 people! This massacre was not about crime, and this massacre was not about domestic violence. If this paper wants to talk about crime and domestic violence, focus upon Philly and Camden, both of which have far more crime and domestic violence without the citizens involved/exposed in a foreign war. This massacre was about religious extremism and Islamic terrorism... and the lack of prevention shows the country's inability to confront it because of Political Correctness run amok. Before we moved here, my family lived in an Islamic country for hundreds of years. And I can tell you that the religious bigotry and ethnocentricity there has always been far more virulent and murderous than over here. If Americans can't open their eyes to look at the truth, this country will slide into the Islamic quagmire that Europe is sinking in. We all need protection from the extremists, not the soldiers.
Posted 02:33 PM, 11/11/2009
lefty
" The devastating human toll that these wars take on so many needs to be a much bigger factor when we WEIGH WHETHER we fight, How we fight, WHOM we ask to fight and for HOW LONG." "...deployment to Afghanistan is one of the factors cited in his deterioration...." It's time that this relative humanist babble be stopped. If you need to hear it from a European, Google the name of Geert Wilders, a member of parliament, Netherlands, who couragiously labelled Islam as a totalitarian political ideology instead of a religion. He speaks of how cultural relativism has infected European and American political leaders and is paralleling the rapid expansion of Islam. Liberals who fear his concerns and warnings label him as a paranoid and ideologue. Those open to the threats posed by the war culture of Islam should take heed of Wilders' warnings to Americans. It's worth repeating.
Posted 03:22 PM, 11/11/2009
lefty
Magistra, you have no more knowledge as to where binLaden is than Chicken Little when she uttered "The sky is falling!" It's suspected that the Taliban still harbors Osama binLaden; thus our presence in Afghanistan, a Taliban stronghold.
Posted 04:30 PM, 11/11/2009
Magistra
Lefty - I am only going by where alQaeda is holed up. The Taliban is not alQaeda. Intelligence reports say that alQaeda has left Afghanistan. ERGO they are next door in Pakistan. Would Osama remain behind in Afghanistan just so he could be caught. And can we please stop with this "left" "right" thing. I am married to a veteran and have a close relative in Iraq, whom I would not want to lose in a pointless exercise. My question is how did this individual Hassan get as far as he did without anyone catching on that he was nuts? Whose bright idea was it to send a supposedly devout Muslim in country to assist in a war against fellow Muslims, knowing it is against their religion? Let the investigation begin.
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