Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
May 16, 2009
In the days of yesteryear, WW1 soldiers returned from the fields of battle with all kinds of undiagnosed mental health injuries. But what of the soldiers in today's battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan? A recent investigation puts the spotlight on whether adequate care is offered to them.
In Baghdad, the U.S. military command recently launched an investigation into whether it offers adequate mental health care to its soldiers. This followed a tragic incident where a sergeant allegedly shot and killed five comrades at a clinic on a U.S. base.
Sgt. John M. Russell, from Texas, was taken into custody outside a mental health clinic following the recent shooting and was charged with five counts of murder and one of aggravated assault. The case, which is the deadliest of the war so far involving soldier-to-soldier violence, highlighted combat stress and the emotional problems resulting from fighting in the battle zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.
