'US Army Bans PTSD Diagnosis Over Costs'

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You know, I am really tired of being outraged about my government. But it just goes on and on and on. I am beginning to think that is "their" plan -- wear us out with the outrages until we have no outrage left within us.

I guess that makes our job to maintain our sense of outrage no matter how much we must scrape the bottom of the barrel. I believe, I must believe, that we are up to the task. Stay outraged!

• The US Army has reportedly pressured its medical staff not to diagnose combat veterans, who had fought in Iraq, with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• A Combat veteran, who has been seeking treatment at Fort Carson for a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, had put a recording device into his pocket and set it on voice-activation in order to capture what the doctor tells him because of his war-damaged memory, Salon magazine reported Wednesday.
• His recording, however, unlocked a dark secret and documented the fact that the US military does not want Iraq veterans to be diagnosed with PTSD-- something that wounded soldiers and their advocates have long suspected.
• The shocking revelation follows remarks made by a retired Army psychiatrist who has recently said that the Army has ordered its medical staff to misdiagnose soldiers suffering from war-related PTSD to reduce their benefits.

• The Army and the Senate Armed Services Committee have refused to investigate the implications. [Emphasis mine. We had better harass the Senate Armed Services Committee about this little matter. At least ask why they won't investigate. The Senate voted for this "war;" they must be held accountable for the human costs. Unfortunately, John McCain is the ranking member. And, heaven help us, Jim Inhofe (OK) is on this committee. ]

But for the veterans, the problem, once more, is at the top. No matter how much some person working the problem wants to do a good job, the "powers that be" are determined only to make themselves look good and keep their lofty positions with all the power that is attached thereto.

Seems we just need to sweep out about the top 3 or 4 tiers of officers (in this case, actual military officers not just corporate officers). Move everybody else up and see if they can do a better job of actually attacking the problem instead of just trying to cover it up.

My God. What a mess. Do you suppose we will ever be able to get things straightened out again?
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