Army Underreporting Suicides, Says GI Advocacy Group

According to a soldiers’ advocacy group at Fort Hood, the U.S. base where an army psychiatrist has been charged with killing 13 people and wounding 30 in a Nov. 5 rampage, the official suicide figures provided by the Army are “definitely” too low. Chuck Luther served 12 years in the military and is a veteran … Continue reading “Army Underreporting Suicides, Says GI Advocacy Group”

90,000 Casualties, but Who’s Counting?

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect new data on total casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans Day arrives tomorrow, and with it, the anticipated harvest of heartbreaking anecdotes driving the press coverage and our ever wandering attention back to less desirable realities: the disfigured but persevering hero, the homeless warrior, the unemployable … Continue reading “90,000 Casualties, but Who’s Counting?”

‘War Comes Home’ with Ft. Hood Shootings

PHOENIX, Arizona — While investigators probe for a motive behind the mass shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas Thursday, in which an army psychiatrist is suspected of killing 13 people, military personnel at the base are in shock as the incident "brings the war home." "Fort Hood is pretty much a ghost … Continue reading “‘War Comes Home’ with Ft. Hood Shootings”

Soldiers Who Just Say No

Six months into Barack Obama’s presidency, the U.S. public’s display of antiwar sentiment has faded to barely a whisper. Despite Obama’s vow to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq before September 2011, he plans to leave up to 50,000 troops in "training and advisory" roles. Meanwhile, nearly 130,000 troops remain in that country and more … Continue reading “Soldiers Who Just Say No”

‘This Is Mental Health, Military-Style’

The U.S. military said yesterday that it’s charged an American Army sergeant on his third tour in Iraq with murder in connection with Monday’s shooting spree that left five fellow soldiers dead in a mental health clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad. Officials said Sergeant John M. Russell, a communications specialist with the 54th Engineering … Continue reading “‘This Is Mental Health, Military-Style’”

Massacre Puts War Trauma in Spotlight

A U.S. soldier shot five of his colleagues dead at a base in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday. The Pentagon says at least two other people were hurt in the shootings, and the gunman is in custody. Details are still coming in, but the incident reportedly happened at a stress clinic where troops get help for personal … Continue reading “Massacre Puts War Trauma in Spotlight”