"Special Report: Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight

By LISA CHEDEKEL And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN | The Hartford Courant May 14, 2006

The U.S. military is sending troops with serious psychological problems into Iraq and is keeping soldiers in combat even after superiors have been alerted to suicide warnings and other signs of mental illness, a Courant investigation has found.

Despite a congressional order that the military assess the mental health of all deploying troops, fewer than 1 in 300 service members see a mental health professional before shipping out.

Once at war, some unstable troops are kept on the front lines while on potent antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, with little or no counseling or medical monitoring..."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/

hc-unfit0515.artmay14,1,5208691,full.story

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[click on my highlighted screen name "cabdriver" for link]

It's also worthy of note that amphetamines have been part of the military kit for American combat soldiers for decades (the same is true for soldiers of other nations.) The number of amphetamines dispensed in the Vietnam war was in the hundreds of millions. (ref. Speed Culture, by Lester Grinspoon, M.D.)

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/archive/

index.php/t-21547.html

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There is no such thing as a drug guaranteed to turn a peaceful person into a raging homicidal maniac- not even meth or PCP, all the hype notwithstanding. But it's a matter of fact that many strong mind-altering substances can make the act of killing, and of combat, easier. Consider that about half of all homicide cases have alcohol as a factor. Before the discovery and use of cocaine and morphine in the 19th century, and amphetamines in the 20th century, the drug of choice for combat soldiers was, in fact, distilled alcohol- which was used for every sort of purpose from bolstering battlefield courage to battlefield anesthesia, from recreation and relaxation to coping with grief. For that matter, it was widely used by combat troops in World Ward One. Hemingway alludes to it in some of his works, with quotes along the lines of "Every charge, I was always stinking [drunk.]"

The Viet Cong and NVA were known to use opium before mounting all-out assaults- although it interferes with the alertness required for guerrilla fighting and ambushes, pre-dosing with opium lessens or abolishes the pain of even very severe wounds.

I wouldn't doubt that opium is also used by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan- but the global ubiquity of all sorts of drugs in this modern era leads me to assume that they probably have easy access to as much methamphetamine as they want, if they want it. They probably find that regular use isn't compatible with military discipline, long term stamina, or general health, particularly under the rigors of the altitude and climate. But for specific missions, they've probably found amphetamines to have their uses.

Personally, I think that perhaps the worst abuse of drugs for combat purposes yet is the first example I gave- the recent phenomenon of dosing of soldiers known to suffer from PTSD, already predisposed to harm themselves and others indiscriminately, with Prozac, and returned to the front. It boggles my mind.

None of the above should be read to imply that I believe the narrative that- presuming the detainee did toss the hand grenade- "the dope made him do it." That's simply an avenue for a defense strategy. But, as I noted in my previous comment, I don't think that people shooting back on their own soil in a hot war is "terrorism."

Perhaps the larger question is: what is the USA/NATO still doing in Afghanistan, anyway? Many readers may not recall this, but the mission was initially sold to the American public as a quick in-and-out snatch & grab of Osama bin Laden (talk about a telegraphed punch- not the soundest move, but that's a topic for another day.) Since then, "the mission" has grown to include propping up the Kabul government installed by US military might to replace the Taliban- in a country that's known decades of war, where something like 70% of the populace is estimated to suffer from PTSD, facing the toughest guerrilla fighters in the world on their home turf- often in air so thin that many foreigners are simply unable to fully acclimate.

As a combat theatre guaranteed to harden and toughen frontline soldiers almost beyond the recognition of their former selves, Afghanistan is a peerless arena- but beyond that, what are US troops accomplishing at this point? What will US forces ever be able to accomplish there, in the middle of someone else's briar patch? Not concluding anything, simply raising some questions...