BLUF: Thousands of sick and wounded soldiers within the Army's Warrior Transition program aren't receiving psychological care they need and are being discharged into communities ill-prepared to help them. A nine-month investigation by the Tribune-Review, buttressed by documents passed to the newspaper by soldiers and the Pentagon's Office of Wounded Warrior Care & Transition Policy in Alexandria, Va., reveal an Army reeling from an epidemic of mental and behavioral health problems after nearly a decade of constant combat overseas.
Documents show Army's disservice to broken soldiers
Medical units pay price of lowered recruiting standards, reports say
Transition staff for military wounded poorly trained, stigmatized, fatigued
Military wives take charge to ensure quality care for injured husbands
Army's mental health programs swamped, understaffed
20-year servicewoman, disabled by war, faces ruin
Program for departing service members plagued by inconsistencies, indifference
Update:
Lt. Col. finds success treating 'soldier as a person
Update Two:
Top Army doctor disputes Tribune-Review series
For Some Troops, Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results
Comments
Update from the forward edge of this fight -from Savannah/Ft Stewart. A positive sign as our wounded strive for success despite some intensive odds. http://savannahnow.com/news/2011-02-11/fort-stewartsj-warrior-transitio…
An amazing article, and quite thorough. It is unfortunate that we have fallen down in these areas - I have to say that I know two men who served in the WWP, both as Battalion Commanders, and I am struggling to make the connection with their spirit and the outcomes in these articles. One of these men I served under, and found him to be a man of high standard and compassion, and in turn, I can't make the mental connection between him and this chaos.
It would seem that the solution rests in a forming a tighter bond between industry, the soldiers still serving nearby, and an Enterprise that has to dump out the malingerers and drug dealers while serving those who need the treatment - and erring on the side of caring too much, and striving to succeed. This must be an exhausting challenge with very little in the way of glory, and I am not envious.
Excellent series of articles by Carl Prine, a man who's been there and done that, a man for whom I have an enormous amount of respect. It's good to see that Carl the 11B still cares. I also think the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review deserves kudos for giving Carl the time and the space to address this important subject.
What's especially sad is that the unfortunate reality that Carl addresses has to make one wonder: "Are these interminable wars involving so much sacrifice on the part of our youth while yielding so few gains worth it?"
Carl tells us of young people and their families who will be paying the price for these wars long after those older and wealthier people who encouraged and directed the wars, but never sacrificed a bit for them are long dead.
Carl's work should make everyone who supports this nation's current military direction wonder if there might just be a better way.