Just how much "higher" are the soldiers that are exposed to the "stress" factors that constitute "all" examples of PTSD than any other "profession" that face the same stress? Compare the Soldiers to Police, firefighters, EMS services...etc, that create these stress factors and compare. Are the soldiers at any greater risk? To compare the Military to the "average" American and declare they present a 50% increase is really quite disingenuous. Even compare the "modern" military to other modern "high risk" professions and you will get a "constant" and pure reference, if not.....you only manipulate the numbers to present a political position that is "pre-determined". BD

The problem with this is people have seen too much tv and movies about war and think it always happens a certain way. Movies have a way of making everything so much more dramatic. Just like bluedog said, soldiers arent the only people exposed to death.

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The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of liberalism they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.

Norman Thomas

I'm not going to compare the soldiers to anybody else. They are thousands of miles from home in a constantly threatening situation. This compare them to the police or whoever is bogus.

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“One of the things that I learned in the school yard was: the folks that are talking tough all the time, they’re not always that tough. If you’re really tough, you’re not always looking to try to start a fight. If you’re really tough, sometimes you just walk away. If you’re really tough, you just save it for when you really need it,� Obama said.

Yet it seems strange that you wish to use a "common" illness to "distinguish" their service from the rest of the population...no? Or even attempt to "discount" the fact of PTSD in previous encounters as being "ignorant" to stress factors....that again are shown to be COMMON not only to soldiers but ANYONE that faces the stress of witnessing death. Which example do you wish to use? Or do you wish to MANIPULATE the information which you have presented into declaring 'your' political ideology? YOUR WORDS SPEAK VOLUMES about your EMPATHY, or the lack thereof. BD

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"inelpaso", I believe you indicated that you are an LCSW that works in the VA system: at one time I also worked in the VA system as a shrink. If you speak with some of the older psyc staff at any VA, they will tell you that there have been many articles published trying to describe the differences seen in today's vets compared to WWII & Korea vets. (At least I think they will: I am now 66 yo, a Vietnam vet, and retired: I guess most of those staff I considered "more senior to me" are now long gone: anyway you can still find many articles discussing this topic.)

The discussions of this observation all suggest many reasons for this difference: some have been mentioned in this post already. I think it is important to say that those recruits now going into the service come from a very different background & early life experience then did those going into WWII & Korea: if interested anyone can read "Flags of Our Fathers" which describes the early lives & bringing up of the Iwo Jima flagraisers: and it also describes their training & eventual assignment to battle forces: lastly this book also describes how united the Nation was behind all of these young men during battle & upon their return home.

All of this is now very defferent for today's warriors: they come from a very different place in early life with different youthfull problems, they are trained very different & their assignments to various forces are much more hit-an-miss for military need; where long ago most recruits came from a disciplined family & national experience with little outside problamatic influence, and were recruited together, trained togehter & fought together: and they generally returned home to a very greatfull nation together.

That all changed with Vietnam: and the returning troops began to show vast post-conflict tramua illness & other problems; many first experienced alcohol & drugs & extensive freedoms while in Vietnam. There is a lot written about this, but the nation today is such a different place then pre-Vietnam, none of the "experts" believes anything learned or changed now could much alter the outcome. I don't know, they may be right: America today is a very different place then the pre-WWII America.

On one issue I do have strong feelings: the illness & suffering of today's veterans is very much real, few if any brought such suffering on themselves, and even if the science of today can explain illness now with complex diagnosis, these veterans are still suffering & still very much desreve our never-ending thanks & our complete support. ...pjwky

Thanks for the insight regarding the differences in the childhood of the various veteran populations. Whole units did not rotate together as they do now. Also, the welcome home hero was absent from our Nam returnees. I don't believe their is a cure for trauma but there is treatment for the returnees and education for the citizens. I work at an army hospital, not a VA hospital but we do provide beds for veterans on a space available basis. Thanks again and welcome home

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"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke

"Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true. " Demosthenes

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Its nice to discuss things with you "Inelpaso", and best regards to you for working with our troops: in a way, I had it lucky while in Vietnam, I was a Navy doc with the Marines, and all I had to do was try my best to keep everyone alive & get them off to more advanced treatment.

Many years later I spent some time working at a VA hospital with many Vietnam & and a few Iraq-I vets. Best to you, have a good day. ...pjwky

I used to be an EMT in the town I grew up in and sadly have seen death in both forms. I also used to work in a hospital in an urban city in New Jersey and again sadly have seen violent ends to life. Not really sure what you mean by that and I haven't read most of the other posts. If you'd like to clarify, great. Otherwise, I'm still not sure where this was leading.

Who were you with?

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Suitcase in my hand,
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And me, I'm in a Rock & Roll band.

jinx, why to you think PTSD is higher now than before?

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