The Failed Pacifist

"Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight"

That's the headline from The Hartford Courant story regarding "unstable" troops being sent to Iraq to fight in combat. The paper reports that "fewer than 1 in 300 service members see a mental health professional before shipping out" and that nearly 20% of the Army's non-combat deaths in 2005 were from suicide.

The Courant's investigation found that at least 11 service members who committed suicide in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 were kept on duty despite exhibiting signs of significant psychological distress. In at least seven of the cases, superiors were aware of the problems, military investigative records and interviews with families indicate.

posted by Doran @ 9:50 AM