A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as a condition resulting from exposure to direct or indirect threat of death, serious injury or a physical threat” (VA, 2010, p.1).The recent analysis and reporting on PTSD by Veterans groups and the medical community is commendable. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs in June 2010, there were 171,423 deployed Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD, out of total of 593,634 patients treated by VA (www.va.gov). Thus far 84,005 Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veteran patients have been granted VA disability compensation; of that about half for PTSD.Often disregarded is the fact that many of our wounded veterans are surviving injuries that would have resulted in their fatality in wars past. Given the escalating costs of medical care and budget constraints it will be interesting to see if Congress maintains it’s commitment to supporting the troops after they have left the battlefield.
To read the rest of this blog or more like it check out http://thefrontlines.com Or if you have a question or comment please email me at askthewarrant@thefrontlines.com. Thank you.
Very respectfully,
The “Warrant”
Fronts Change. Memories Don’t
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Sadie
Can you explain what you mean by “deployed Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD”? Does that mean that that many Iraq/Afghanistan veterans have been redeployed since their diagnosis? That they were diagnosed during their deployment? or that they have been diagnosed since their most recent deployment? I apologize for my confusion.
The Frontlines
Hello, in reference to your question, in 2009, the Veterans Administration was treating 143, 530 new PTSD patients, which was up from 134,000 in 2008. In 2010, the Veterans Administration released documents to Veterans For Common Sense showing that the number of soldiers being treated for PTSD had risen.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs in June 2010, there were 171,423 deployed Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD, out of total of 593,634 patients treated by VA (www.va.gov). The number “593,634′ refers to veterans from all conflicts and wars, and of that total “171,423″ were veterans of war in either Iraq or Afghanistan. This means that Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans represent 29% of the total of patients treated for PTSD, treated at the VA. Alarming statistics given that most veterans choose not to break the military stigma of speaking about issues they may be facing, and the wars overseas are still going on. Thank you for the thoughtful question. If you have any more don’t hesitate to post them here or email me at askthewarrant@thefrontlines.com.
Very respectfully,
The “Warrant”
http://www.thefrontlines.com
References
Veterans for Common Sense. (2010). VCS FOIA Research in the News: Rates of PTSD Among Veterans Rising. Retrieved from http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.php/veterans-category-articles/2028-daniel-mcgoldrick-
Veterans Administration. (2010). PTSD Statistics. Retrieved fromhttp://www.va.gov” rel=”nofollow”> http://www.va.gov
Sadie
Thank you for your response. I came across this article while I was researching the “right to heal” issue, and I was uncertain if you were reporting that those 171,423 veterans were being re-deployed while still suffering from PTSD from a previous deployment. It is still an astounding statistic; thanks for the report!
Purple Heart
The trend continues. Even if you do not die in war, you return home with mental problems as well. I am sure that stats revealed here do not tell the whole story. I don’t expect congress to help anyone after they leave the battlefield.
The Frontlines
While it is time consuming to wait on larger federal organizations to address the problems facing veterans, there are things we can do at the local level. Utilizing the power of active citizenship in combination with federal and state organizations, we have the capability to create positive change in how we provide long-term medical and disability care to veterans. Creating internships within the veteran community to train unemployed veterans for future employment is one of the many things we can do at the local level. Macro level change comes slowly…sometimes very slowly. On a very myopic level, I have launched The Frontlines website to provide members of the armed forces, veterans, family and friends a multi-faceted platform to creatively share their stories from the frontlines. My goal through stories such as yours, is to both preserve and educate the public, thereby increasing awareness on veteran related issues, and hopefully inspiring others to selfless service on behalf of our country. As philosopher George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
If you have time to share your story, or help spread the word about The Frontlines it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Very respectfully,
the “Warrant”
http://www.thefrontlines.com
Been There
After living with PTSD 8 years from the invasion and follow-up tour I am wondering today about the value of living.
The Frontlines
Hello Sir, I read your comment about having to live with PTSD, and the value of living with its effects. Your service to country is rare, less than 1% actually serve in our nation’s wars today, vs. 12% in WWII. Selfless servants such as yourself have an untold value to this country in that rather than standing on the side lines you chose to be a citizen protector of our found ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Because of individuals such as yourself, I have launched a website called “The Frontlines”, which provides veterans, family members and friends, a venue for telling a story about their experiences while serving in any branch of the armed forces, to include the Coast Guard and National Guard. It is my belief that through this website we can unite the nearly 400,000 URLs that support veterans in an easy to use platform that provides valuable resources tailored to the individual needs. As an inclusive environment for storytelling as a tool for preserving stories such as yours, and fostering dialogue on the issues veterans and Americans face in a non-partisan forum will also enable us to truly mitigate the long-term costs of war of providing medical and disability care to Veterans.
If you want to learn more or contribute your stories and opinions on the complex issues we face such as PTSD, unemployment, etc. please visit the website http://www.thefrontlines.com. With a 100 million strong Veteran community in the U.S. there is strength in numbers and none of us are alone. If you need more help, the Veterans Affairs set up a 24 hr service 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Take care, and thank you again for your service.
Very respectfully,
The Warrant
http://www.thefrontlines.com
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Steve Hill
Independent film Director Ty Jones would like to interview a few Iraq – Afghan Vets with PTSD for a feature film I am producing. The title of the film is Story of the Sand, based on the novel by Mark Pickering. I am looking for Vets in the Kansas City Missouri area. I (Steve Hill) can be reached via email steve-hill at unitedfilmways dot com or telephone 816 six-hundred 7 nine 6 nine.
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