Wave of violence may be due to combat PTSD

[sabra]

Source: KGET

Kern County has seen a recent wave of young war veterans accused of serious crimes. Many of our returning troops are silently suffering from flashbacks of things they saw or did during the war.

Iraq war veteran Torrance Kendricks is accused of trying to kill his mother by choking her, slamming her head on the cement and running her over with a car. A police report states that he is 'possibly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.'

Iraq war veteran Marcus Trevino is accused of driving drunk, after having two previous DUI arrests, causing a fiery crash on Mt. Vernon Avenue that killed a woman in another car. Trevino’s mother previously said her son suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

War veteran Timothy Atkins is accused of shooting Air Force Staff Sergeant Brian Carragher to death Saturday in California City. Atkins returned from Iraq just weeks ago, police said.

"A normal person, they can take quite a bit on their shoulders before they snap. We don't have that luxury. That's gone for us," Iraq combat veteran and PTSD sufferer J.R. Browning said. He saw combat during the start of the Iraq war in 2003. He said for combat vets, violence was the norm, making it hard to adapt back to normal life.

"That's the nature of combat. That's what we were trained to do, supposed to do, asked to do," Browning said.

Read more: http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Wave-of-violence-may-be-due-to-combat-PTSD/qehh7dZwjUOMbV9bM-seIQ.cspx

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Who could have seen this coming? nt

[Devil_Fish]

14. Only all of us at DU and over 50% of most other Amercans. NT

[The Wizard]

2. Multiple deployments

have a way of coming back at us with a vengeance.

[L0oniX]

3. It would be interesting to know stats on this and compare to WW2 and other wars vets.

[pasto76]

5. They would be the same, maybe worse. although there are different mechanisms there

different mechanisms physical and sociological. The entire country was involved in the WWII effort. War bonds, rosie the riveter, rationing. VDay was a national celebration. Any celebrations last month? Nope. Republican pundits talking shit is what I saw.

One thing I learned in this experience is veterans of war are basically the same. Having sat in discussions with Korea, Nam, Desert Storm and other combat vets, we were all talking to the same points, just had some period specific icing on it.

What I told my healthcare provider the first summer I was home - I cant turn the switch off. Provocation resulted in a war response. Not a bar fight response.

sgt pasto

[dflprincess]

12. PTSD was never recognized before Vietnam

It was called "shell shock" or "battle fatigue" but the actual psychological damage these conditions refered wasn't understood or even investigated much.

I remember reading that when couseling centers were finally opened by Vietnam Vets, the people running them were surprised by the number of WWII & Korea Vets who showed up to see if they could get help. So even as PTSD began to be recognized there was still a line of thought that other wars had been different.

[starroute]

13. It always happens

Civil War vets made the Wild West wild.

World War I vets turned into bootleggers.

World War II vets formed the first motorcycle gangs.

Most veterans turned back into peaceful, law-abiding citizens. Even the ones with PTSD just suffered the nightmares in silence. But there was always a minority who may have been socially maladjusted even before their military service but piled PTSD and weapons training on top of that to become really dangerous after they got home.

The sailors-turned-pirates of the 1600's and the mercenaries-turned-bandits of the late Middle Ages were no different.

There are ways to help prevent it. The Romans did pretty well by giving ex-legionnaires a plot of land and encouraging them to settle down and raise a family. But just cutting your vets loose without any sort of support system is asking for trouble.

[Nihil]

16. Excellent summary.

> Civil War vets made the Wild West wild.
>
> World War I vets turned into bootleggers.
>
> World War II vets formed the first motorcycle gangs.
>
> The sailors-turned-pirates of the 1600's
>
> mercenaries-turned-bandits of the late Middle Ages

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

[Downwinder]

17. In 2005, the last year for which complete Oregon data has been compiled

? In 2005, the last year for which complete Oregon data has been compiled, 19 Oregon soldiers died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. That same year, 153 Oregon veterans of all ages, serving in various wars, committed suicide.

? The rate of suicide among Oregon men who are veterans is more than double that of Oregon men in general — 46 suicides out of every 100,000 compared to 22 out of 100,000 — according to the Oregon Department of Human Services Center for Health Statistics.

http://www.ptsdsupport.net/combat_suicide_epidemic.html

[jaksavage]

4. Just the cost

of our perpetual war business.

[gratuitous]

6. Gee, I wonder how the beneficiaries of our occupations are faring?

Oh well, they're just a bunch of foreigners over there in Iraq and Afghanistan; no need to worry about the likes of them.

[Nihil]

15. They are just terrorists and insurgents ...

... no need to make any excuses for *their* behaviour ...

"Why do they hate us?"

[dkf]

7. Now we will suffer PTSD from their PTSD.

[lunatica]

8. By the next war all this will be forgotten

again...

In 10 years there will be plenty of nineteen year olds happily ready to 'defend' their country as our government demonizes some country or other. Maybe we'll invade Paraguay since they're sitting on our aquifers.

[sofa king]

10. I think you're on to something there.

But there is another component to it: in addition to warm bodies to toss in the maw, we also require a generation of conservative assholes who have never actually seen combat to gain power in Congress. You can't start an unjust war without a flock of chickenhawks whose claim to privilege allowed them to sit out the last war.

[TheWraith]

9. Don't blame PTSD.

PTSD may do a lot of bad things to a person, but it doesn't make you a murderer. To imply that anyone coming out of the military is a potential ticking time bomb is irresponsible and insulting. Instead of anecdotes, let's see how many returning soldiers committed violent crimes, and then compare that to the same number of civilians over the same period. Yes, it'll probably be higher, because some people do get accustomed to violence. But I doubt it'll be significantly higher, certainly not enough to justify this sort of attitude.

[RobinA]

20. There Is

way more unpleasantness to PTSD than the rarity of turning into a murderer.

[sammyscout]

11. Add to the equation, All the DU

Depleted Uranium in the air out there we put and well, everyone is breathing it.

That may also be contributing to mental conditions.

[wuvuj]

18. Nah....just a bunch of deformed babies....

...babies with two heads ain't no big deal. Won't even be noticed in WEIRD AMERICA! ;-)

[annm4peace]

19. this is happening all over the country.

In one week in MN/and WI border. this happened about 2 months ago.

One recently returned Iraq Vet, came home and shot and killed his pregnant wife, his 18th month old, 3 dogs and himself.

then a couple days later our peace friend's peace daughter and boyfriend, were hit by a drunk driver who is a recently returned Marine Vet who had a couple other altercations. The boy has airlifted and in a coma for several weeks, and had to have his face reconstructed plus other injuries. the girl had two broken femurs and scared all of us by not waking up for awhile.. both are now home.
the marine vet made bail that weekend and went home.

check your obits and violent crimes to see if they are a Vet. Sadly I see a couple a month that are or could be recently returned Vets.