Judging from the many previous chapters in this series, this post will have relatively few hits — and feature critical (often abusive) comments from pro-war folks who have read neither the DoD report nor the news articles, but know they’re wrong. The anti-war folks will have little or nothing to say. The combo raises the question: does America love its men and women in uniform only so long as they need not think about them? How does this differ from not giving a damn?
These problem will only grow worse as we maintain the same number of troops in Iraq through early 2010 (at least, per these reports) and substantially increase our forces in Afghanistan. This endless high activity level will continue to erode away the edge of our military. On the other hand, our trashed economy has made recruitment and retention easier for the military.
For more about this topic, see the many previous posts in this series (links at the end).
The new report about the latest series of problems:
- “Investigation of the homicides at Fort Carlson between Nov 2008 and May 2009, US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, July 2009, 126 pages
A series of articles by the Colorado Springs Gazette about the events at Fort Carson
- “Killings allegedly committed by Fort Carson soldiers“, 15 July 2009
- “Fort Carson report: Combat stress contributed to soldiers’ crimes back home“, 16 July 2009
- “EDITOR’S NOTE: A note of caution about the Lethal Warriors package“, 25 July 2009
- “Casualties of War, Part I: The hell of war comes home“, 26 July 2009
- “Casualties of War, Part II: Warning signs“, 27 July 2009
Excerpt from #2, the Gazette article about the US Army report:
Most Fort Carson soldiers who came home from war to commit murder had lives that were broken by combat stress, mental illness and drug and alcohol problems, a report released by the Army today says.
The report, commissioned by commanders last year after six 4th Brigade Combat Team soldiers were charged in murders in a 12-month period, says combat stress, and mental health issues found in the bulk of soldiers-turned-killers combined with a cocktail of substance abuse issues, including drug and alcohol abuse, that wasn’t consistently addressed.
It will result in increased screening for soldiers who show signs of trouble, policy changes and a series of Army studies at Fort Carson and elsewhere to better determine what eight years of war have done to troops. But the study reached no conclusions that showed a direct cause-and-effect relationship that led to the killings.
Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army’s surgeon general, said while no one factor accounts for the violence, several causes contributed to the cluster, including substance abuse, mental illness and failures of leadership. “Those three in combination are a really toxic mix,” he said at a Fort Carson news conference.
The toxic mix left a death toll in Colorado.
- Judilianna Lawrence, 19, was raped and killed by a soldier last October, prosecutors charge.
- In June 2008, Cesar Ramirez Ibanez, 21, and Amairany Cervantes, 18, were mowed down with an AK-47. A soldier is charged.
- In December, 2007, Spc. Kevin Shields was shot to death on the city’s west side. Three soldiers are in prison for that.
- A few months earlier, Pfc. Robert James was shot to death in a robbery. Two soldiers are doing time for it.
- Before that, a taxi driver in Pueblo was gunned down by a Fort Carson GI who has since been convicted.
- Another soldier is doing 30 years behind bars for gunning down an alleged drug dealer in a botched robbery.
- One killed his infant.
- One killed a friend with a fire poker.
- Another killed his wife and then himself.
Would you like to support our men and women in uniform?
Contribute time or money to one of the many support organizations. Such as…
- An effective way to support our Troops: help the Blue Star Mothers of America
- Support the USO – more help to our troops than a bumper sticker
Afterword
Please share your comments by posting below. Per the FM site’s Comment Policy, please make them brief (250 words max), civil, and relevant to this post. Or email me at fabmaximus at hotmail dot com (note the spam-protected spelling).
For information about this site see the About page, at the top of the right-side menu bar.
For more information from the FM site
To read other articles about these things, see the FM reference page on the right side menu bar. Of esp interest are:
- About An Army near the Breaking Point – studies & reports
- About America’s national defence strategy and machinery
Posts about America’s men and women in uniform:
- An effective way to support our Troops: help the Blue Star Mothers of America, 8 June 2008
- Time: “America’s Medicated Army”, 12 June 2008
- Stratfor: “The U.S. Air Force and the Next War”, 13 June 2008
- “VA testing drugs on war veterans” – The Washington Times and ABC News, 18 June 2008
- Support the USO – more effective than a bumper sticker, 5 July 2008 — Another way to support our troops, more effective than a bumper sticker.
- Is post-traumatic stress disorder more common now than in past wars?, 17 July 2008
- One of the best geopolitical posts of the year, IMO, 12 August 2008 — “War is the great auditor of institutions”
- A lesson for America – and an inspiration, 13 March 2009
- “VA testing drugs on war veterans” – The Washington Times and ABC News, 18 June 2008
- Is post-traumatic stress disorder more common now than in past wars?, 17 July 2008
- Suicides skyrocket among US soliders, 26 March 2009
- Background info to the “U.S. Soldier Opens Fire on Comrades” incident, 12 May 2009
- Did exposure to “burn pits” in Iraq and Afghanistan harm our troops?, 1 July 2009
