they printed my 87th ltte-'The invisible scars of battle"

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2007/06/24/dailylight/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter1.txt
I dedicate this to my son,who will be serving his fourth tour in a war zone beginning this summer.

So many times, I have looked in his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of my happy little boy. I see hollow, empty spheres, hiding the pain and death he has seen, multiple times, after multiple deployments.

The status of mental health care for our returning veterans is shameful. Even the DoD estimates that over 300,000 Iraq War veterans will need counseling for PTSD. This doesn’t include the veterans of other wars who have seen their share of trauma. The solution — try to diagnose these brave war veterans with bi-polar and other psychiatric disorders, and call them pre-existing. This denies the soldier access to what little help there is, and denies any disability claim. There are a total of 350 psychiatrists to care for almost a million mentally ill veterans of war. There is a huge stigma, still perpetuated today, against seeking help for the horrific experience that is war. The incidence of alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide is far higher among these war heroes, but talk therapy, by a war veteran, isn’t profitable. Prescribing myriad of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants as the anger and fear continue to eat at these soldiers and Marines’ souls while they walk around in a drug-addled state-many staring down a bottle or the barrel of a gun. Twenty to 40 soldiers a day are being evacuated from Iraq with incapacitating PTSD, many handcuffed to their stretchers. This is what happens when your kids are sent to war multiple times, seeing death and destruction every day, 18 hours a day, watching their buddies be blown to pieces, learning to hate all Arabs, and coming home to a clueless nation who thinks a faded yellow ribbon is a fitting testament to these brave troops’ sacrifice.

Those of you who still support this war should try to walk a day in these men and women’s shoes. Imagine how their lives have changed, and how our nation has deserted them when they come home. Let’s take the billions we spend on contractors in Iraq and funnel that money into a program to help all wounded warriors-even those without visable scars. Support our troops. Bring them home to a grateful nation, one who is willing to appreciate and reward their sacrifice, not profit from it.

[w8liftinglady]

1. kick