The Memorial Day stories are out.
The NYT looks as the effects of PSTD on one National Guardsman in an in-depth story for the Sunday Magazine. It's one of those read-the-whole-thing stories.
Last week NPR's Morning Edition did a story about civilian drivers with PSTD. In fact, they set up a whole page filled with interviews and other resources on the topic. It's a whole different world for these people when it comes to getting treatment for their war injuries:
A local doctor concluded that Meredith is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite that diagnosis, KBR's insurance company, AIG WorldSource, denied Meredith's claim, saying there's no medical evidence.
Sixteen percent of Marines and soldiers returning from Iraq screen positive for PTSD. No one has studied contractors.
How long did it take for the federal government to recognize PSTD existed?
The pro-war WaPo takes a look at some happily-ever-after stories of marriages affected by catastrophic war injuries. The reporter puts a catastrophic injury in perspective for you: "...experts say the hardest challenge can be when a spouse or lover comes home catastrophically injured." Just in case you thought having both legs and an arm blown off would be good for a marriage.
Bottom line: Not one bit of any of these stories or any other stories from BushCo's War on Iraq is unexpected. The soldiers killed, the grieving families, the missing limbs, the strained marriages, the broken marriages, the PSTD, the years and years of support these people will all need and some won't ever get. Even the stories about the injured contractors, which are a new part of the big story and add new wrinkle to the big story, are, in the end, just another part of the nightmare of warfare.
BushCo, who deserves our contempt on this weekend above all others, knew all of it going in and he did it anyway. He had to lie the country into it. He had to send National Guard troops to fight it. He's made such a mess of it that, if there's any justice at all, his presidency will go down in American history as a cautionary tale aimed at what kind of disasters a sleepy and lazy electorate can bring upon itself and the world.
The corporate media who publishes these beautiful, empathetic stories now, knew when they were pimping for this war what their agitations would bring and they went ahead anyway. Eager to be in on history. Desperate to serve their corporate masters.
The members of Congress who voted for the war knew what sort of hell they were buying for other people to endure. Afraid to say no to a popular president. Afraid to stand up to the Noise Machine that installed him. Unable to count on the support of the voters and non-voters who are swayed by that noise.
They all own every drop of blood, every cry of pain, every day lost to depression and disability.
UPDATE: spelling and grammar edit
They are also responsible for Abu Ghraib and Hadith. And guess who'll be in the crisis centers and hospital wards and homeless camps, caring for our damaged troops? Hint: not a single hawk.
Posted by: Kevin Hayden | May 28, 2006 at 08:09 PM
Besides shell shock (a.k.a. "post-traumatic stress disorder") and amputation, there's always depleted uranium radiation poisoning.
Posted by: D. J. Waletzky | May 29, 2006 at 02:48 PM
Good point, D.J. I had forgotten about that. Of course the official story is that DU poisoning doesn't exist.
Posted by: eRobin | May 29, 2006 at 05:42 PM