An article written by a marine, who served and was wounded in Iraq, cites the two to costs of war: treasure and blood. Treasure refers to the defense budget and is more commonly discussed in the media and the countries political discourse. The other cost, blood, is the price soldiers and their family's pay. And according to the article, this cost of war is commonly overlooked. The author calls on Americans to remember the people who fought and are fighting in wars.
The word choice employed by the author is quite effective in creating pathos. Treasure is linked to greed. Using this word implies that by focusing on the treasures of war Americans are greedy and have better things to worry about. Blood, on the other hand, elicits thoughts of suffering and violence. By utilizing the word blood the author is able to show in one word that war affects humans not only finically but physically as well. It is the physical aspect of war that should most concern Americans.
After explaining to readers the importance of troop remembrance, the marine proceeded by telling his own war story. He was stationed in Iraq when a sniper shot him behind the left year. While it missed the brain and spinal cord the bullet tore apart his month and face. With the help of some brave soldiers, the author made it to a hospital.
What bothered him the most about his injury was not the pain associated with it but the shame it brought him. All he wanted to do was return to his unit in Iraq. He felt bad that his girlfriend Dahlia had to put her career on hold to care for him. However, his case is not unique, many wounded warriors caregivers drop everything to care for their husbands or boyfriends (etc.).
The author admits that he, like many returning from war, suffers from PTSD. The way he approaches PTSD is the way a person would approach depression. He accepts it and wants to receive help. This seems abnormal. In many cases soldiers with PTSD are often too ashamed or proud to admit to the condition or seek treatment.
But treatment, according to the article is hard to come by. PTSD counseling is only offered at certain times of the day. This makes it hard for soldiers who work to go to counseling sessions. What's worse, for this particular vet though I imagine he's not the only one, is that when he told the vet's center he was not able to meet at the scheduled times they coldly told him to seek help from a nonprofit.
The above incident represents the core of the problem in terms of veterans. They give so much for their country and get so little in return. The least that the government can do is make sure that those who want to confront PTSD have the resources to do so.
With suicide the leading cause of death in the army, a New York Times article argues that PTSD care is improving. However this seems to contradict the above story.
According to the article, since 2005 the Pentagon in partner with the V.A. have increased funding for PTSD research. In 2008 mental health providers were required to be at all large V.A. clinics, as well as adding more centers with free and confidential counseling.
While there is no doubt that this has happened, there is clearly a disconnect between the soldiers who want treatment and the providers who offer it. If efforts to cure PTSD were improving the marine above would not have had trouble accessing the necessary counseling.
According to another article, much is also being down to improve TBI surveillance. The use of advanced body armor is resulting in a higher survival rates of wounded warriors. The DoD has also put in place a screening process which is used throughout the course of combat operations.
Even with the advances in treatment and prevention of PTSD and TBI there is still much work to be done. As the marine article demonstrates, hurt soldiers are still not receiving the necessary care.
The word choice employed by the author is quite effective in creating pathos. Treasure is linked to greed. Using this word implies that by focusing on the treasures of war Americans are greedy and have better things to worry about. Blood, on the other hand, elicits thoughts of suffering and violence. By utilizing the word blood the author is able to show in one word that war affects humans not only finically but physically as well. It is the physical aspect of war that should most concern Americans.
After explaining to readers the importance of troop remembrance, the marine proceeded by telling his own war story. He was stationed in Iraq when a sniper shot him behind the left year. While it missed the brain and spinal cord the bullet tore apart his month and face. With the help of some brave soldiers, the author made it to a hospital.
 |
| The faces of PTSD. Soldiers injured in Iraq. |
What bothered him the most about his injury was not the pain associated with it but the shame it brought him. All he wanted to do was return to his unit in Iraq. He felt bad that his girlfriend Dahlia had to put her career on hold to care for him. However, his case is not unique, many wounded warriors caregivers drop everything to care for their husbands or boyfriends (etc.).
The author admits that he, like many returning from war, suffers from PTSD. The way he approaches PTSD is the way a person would approach depression. He accepts it and wants to receive help. This seems abnormal. In many cases soldiers with PTSD are often too ashamed or proud to admit to the condition or seek treatment.
But treatment, according to the article is hard to come by. PTSD counseling is only offered at certain times of the day. This makes it hard for soldiers who work to go to counseling sessions. What's worse, for this particular vet though I imagine he's not the only one, is that when he told the vet's center he was not able to meet at the scheduled times they coldly told him to seek help from a nonprofit.
The above incident represents the core of the problem in terms of veterans. They give so much for their country and get so little in return. The least that the government can do is make sure that those who want to confront PTSD have the resources to do so.
With suicide the leading cause of death in the army, a New York Times article argues that PTSD care is improving. However this seems to contradict the above story.
According to the article, since 2005 the Pentagon in partner with the V.A. have increased funding for PTSD research. In 2008 mental health providers were required to be at all large V.A. clinics, as well as adding more centers with free and confidential counseling.
While there is no doubt that this has happened, there is clearly a disconnect between the soldiers who want treatment and the providers who offer it. If efforts to cure PTSD were improving the marine above would not have had trouble accessing the necessary counseling.
According to another article, much is also being down to improve TBI surveillance. The use of advanced body armor is resulting in a higher survival rates of wounded warriors. The DoD has also put in place a screening process which is used throughout the course of combat operations.
Even with the advances in treatment and prevention of PTSD and TBI there is still much work to be done. As the marine article demonstrates, hurt soldiers are still not receiving the necessary care.
No comments:
Post a Comment