By JONATHAN FINER, The Washington Post
"They showed us it's OK to actually talk about this, to not just clam
up," said Capt. Troy Fink, 35, the commanding officer and only
full-time soldier in Delta Company of the 1st Battalion, 151st Field
Artillery Regiment, based in Morris, Minn. "I've still got some guys
who hurt pretty bad. I hurt some days. It's important to maintain that
certain image in front of my soldiers, but sometimes we all need a
release."
From the shell shock first diagnosed among trench warriors in World
War I to the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that afflicts
thousands of Vietnam and Persian Gulf War veterans, the toll that
modern warfare has taken on the psyche of combatants has been well
documented. An estimated one in six troops returning from duty in Iraq
experienced symptoms of major depression, anxiety or PTSD, according
to a New England Journal of Medicine study published last year.
<http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/06-05/06-15-05/a02wn627.htm>
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<bevthornton@despammed.com> Support: <http://www.sudan-relief.org/>
Trust: the foremost kinship.
Unbinding: the foremost ease.
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