I wonder why...
 

Alcohol abuse by GIs soars since '03
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
The rate of Army soldiers enrolled in treatment programs for alcohol
dependency or abuse has nearly doubled since 2003 — a sign of the
growing stress of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan,
according to Army statistics and interviews.

Soldiers diagnosed by Army substance abuse counselors with alcoholism or
alcohol abuse, such as binge drinking, increased from 6.1 per 1,000
soldiers in 2003 to an estimated 11.4 as of March 31, according to the
data. The latest data cover the first six months of the fiscal year that
began in October.

"We're seeing a lot of alcohol consumption," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the
Army's vice chief of staff, told top officers during a briefing on the
Army's growing number of suicides.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern. "I'm sure there are many factors for
the rising numbers (of enrollments) ... but I can't believe the stress
our people are under after eight years of combat isn't taking a toll,"
he said.

Likewise, Marines who screen positive for drug or alcohol problems
increased 12% from 2005 to 2008, according to Marine Corps statistics.
In addition, there were 1,060 drunken-driving cases involving Marines
during the first seven months of fiscal 2009, which began in October,
compared with 1,430 cases in all of fiscal 2008.

In an interview last week, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent said
alcohol abuse is an indication of the stress, particularly with the
ongoing cycle of combat deployments. "Alcohol can tie into a lot of
things, and we're just keeping a close eye on it," Kent said.

Mullen and Chiarelli said the U.S. needs to reduce the overall number of
deployed troops as planned to ease the strain.

Concerns about alcohol abuse led Chiarelli to issue a memo in May urging
commanders to treat and, where necessary under Army rules, punish
soldiers who test positive for substance abuse or fail blood-alcohol
tests. During a visit to six Army installations this year, Chiarelli
said, he found hundreds of cases where soldiers who failed those tests,
in some cases more than once, were not treated for the problem or
processed for possible discharge, as required by Army regulation.

Enrollments in drug abuse treatment programs have remained largely
unchanged in the Army during the war, rising from 3.7 per 1,000 in 2003
to an estimated 4.2 as of May.

The most common drug detected is marijuana, says Marsha Drain, deputy
director for policy for the Army Substance Abuse Program.

Chiarelli said top staff officers might not properly deal with the
problem because of a need to "keep their numbers up" for combat deployments.

Chiarelli said identifying and treating substance and alcohol abuse will
help improve the Army's mental health care and curb suicides, which
reached a record 142 cases in 2008. There have been 82 confirmed or
suspected suicides this year among active-duty, compared with 51 for the
same period in 2008.

Lt. Col. George Wright, an Army spokesman, said the good news is that
the alcohol statistics show more soldiers are seeking help.

But the Army statistics, based on enrollments in a drug and alcohol
counseling program, also may underestimate the scope of the problem,
since they are based on soldiers who are either referred for counseling
by a commander or who voluntarily enroll. A 2007 Pentagon study said
soldiers may refrain from seeking help because current Army rules
require that their commanders automatically be notified.

I wonder why...
 

Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.

"HK" wrote in message
...



Alcohol abuse by GIs soars since '03
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
The rate of Army soldiers enrolled in treatment programs for alcohol
dependency or abuse has nearly doubled since 2003 — a sign of the growing
stress of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Army
statistics and interviews.

Soldiers diagnosed by Army substance abuse counselors with alcoholism or
alcohol abuse, such as binge drinking, increased from 6.1 per 1,000
soldiers in 2003 to an estimated 11.4 as of March 31, according to the
data. The latest data cover the first six months of the fiscal year that
began in October.

"We're seeing a lot of alcohol consumption," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the
Army's vice chief of staff, told top officers during a briefing on the
Army's growing number of suicides.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern. "I'm sure there are many factors for
the rising numbers (of enrollments) ... but I can't believe the stress our
people are under after eight years of combat isn't taking a toll," he
said.

Likewise, Marines who screen positive for drug or alcohol problems
increased 12% from 2005 to 2008, according to Marine Corps statistics. In
addition, there were 1,060 drunken-driving cases involving Marines during
the first seven months of fiscal 2009, which began in October, compared
with 1,430 cases in all of fiscal 2008.

In an interview last week, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent said
alcohol abuse is an indication of the stress, particularly with the
ongoing cycle of combat deployments. "Alcohol can tie into a lot of
things, and we're just keeping a close eye on it," Kent said.

Mullen and Chiarelli said the U.S. needs to reduce the overall number of
deployed troops as planned to ease the strain.

Concerns about alcohol abuse led Chiarelli to issue a memo in May urging
commanders to treat and, where necessary under Army rules, punish soldiers
who test positive for substance abuse or fail blood-alcohol tests. During
a visit to six Army installations this year, Chiarelli said, he found
hundreds of cases where soldiers who failed those tests, in some cases
more than once, were not treated for the problem or processed for possible
discharge, as required by Army regulation.

Enrollments in drug abuse treatment programs have remained largely
unchanged in the Army during the war, rising from 3.7 per 1,000 in 2003 to
an estimated 4.2 as of May.

The most common drug detected is marijuana, says Marsha Drain, deputy
director for policy for the Army Substance Abuse Program.

Chiarelli said top staff officers might not properly deal with the problem
because of a need to "keep their numbers up" for combat deployments.

Chiarelli said identifying and treating substance and alcohol abuse will
help improve the Army's mental health care and curb suicides, which
reached a record 142 cases in 2008. There have been 82 confirmed or
suspected suicides this year among active-duty, compared with 51 for the
same period in 2008.

Lt. Col. George Wright, an Army spokesman, said the good news is that the
alcohol statistics show more soldiers are seeking help.

But the Army statistics, based on enrollments in a drug and alcohol
counseling program, also may underestimate the scope of the problem, since
they are based on soldiers who are either referred for counseling by a
commander or who voluntarily enroll. A 2007 Pentagon study said soldiers
may refrain from seeking help because current Army rules require that
their commanders automatically be notified.

I wonder why...
 

"Canuck57" wrote in message
...

Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk at
home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

Eisboch

I wonder why...
 

Eisboch wrote:
"Canuck57" wrote in message
...
Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk at
home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

Eisboch




Well, well, well. Nothing like going for the "easy" answers that don't
touch upon the problems of endless deployments, the lies that took them
into war, the fear of reporting they are suffering from emotional
problems, the lack of treatment available for alcohol or drug abuse.

Typical right-wing hide your head in the sand bull****.

I wonder why...
 

On Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:31:26 -0400, Eisboch wrote:


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk
at home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of
duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

I'm not demeaning their sense of duty, but, as I have said before, we are
asking too much of too few. Five and six combat tours, just ain't a
healthy stress level on our young men and women. Wars should be a
national endeavor, not left to the few.

I wonder why...
 

thunder wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:31:26 -0400, Eisboch wrote:


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk
at home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of
duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

I'm not demeaning their sense of duty, but, as I have said before, we are
asking too much of too few. Five and six combat tours, just ain't a
healthy stress level on our young men and women. Wars should be a
national endeavor, not left to the few.


The draft should be reinstated, with no exemptions but for the
physically or seriously mentally challenged. That alone would put a
chill on political warmongering, because the parents of the future
draftees would want a tad more proof than the Bush Admin provided before
they sent their kids off to die for the Republican Party.

I wonder why...
 

"HK" wrote in message
m...
Eisboch wrote:
"Canuck57" wrote in message
...
Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk
at home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of
duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

Eisboch


Well, well, well. Nothing like going for the "easy" answers that don't
touch upon the problems of endless deployments, the lies that took them
into war, the fear of reporting they are suffering from emotional
problems, the lack of treatment available for alcohol or drug abuse.

Typical right-wing hide your head in the sand bull****.


Key operative in my statement was "And".
There are many reasons for morale going south. Extended tours, combat
experiences are major parts of it. Lack of support and critism for doing
their job by some back at home simply add salt to the wounds.

I am getting sick of your generalizations of what constitutes being
"right-wing". To you it means anyone who hasn't adopted your liberal views
and opinions. It's ironic that you think everyone else has their head
stuck in the sand. When was the last time yours saw day-light?

Eisboch

I wonder why...
 

Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
m...
Eisboch wrote:
"Canuck57" wrote in message
...
Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.

And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk
at home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of
duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

Eisboch

Well, well, well. Nothing like going for the "easy" answers that don't
touch upon the problems of endless deployments, the lies that took them
into war, the fear of reporting they are suffering from emotional
problems, the lack of treatment available for alcohol or drug abuse.

Typical right-wing hide your head in the sand bull****.


Key operative in my statement was "And".
There are many reasons for morale going south. Extended tours, combat
experiences are major parts of it. Lack of support and critism for doing
their job by some back at home simply add salt to the wounds.

I am getting sick of your generalizations of what constitutes being
"right-wing". To you it means anyone who hasn't adopted your liberal views
and opinions. It's ironic that you think everyone else has their head
stuck in the sand. When was the last time yours saw day-light?

Eisboch




There are very few "back home" who criticize the troops, and who do not
support efforts to supply and pay the troops and take care of their
physical and mental needs in the field and when they return home. That's
a red herring and you know it. Support of the "mission" in Iraq and
those who came up with it is an entirely matter. Most Americans have
seen for themselves the utter stupidity and dishonesty of Bush's war
against Iraq, and many feel as if we were manipulated into it by a
scheming administration that got nothing right.

It isn't necessary to generalize as to what constitutes today's "right
wing."

I wonder why...
 

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Canuck57" wrote in message
...

Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk
at home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of
duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

Eisboch

Sad to say, history does repeat. We should have the ultimate respect for
out service men and women. They have a lot more courage than we in chairs
at home. They truly are the finest of the breed.

I wonder why...
 

"HK" wrote in message
m...
Eisboch wrote:
"Canuck57" wrote in message
...
Probably has a lot to do with sending them to wars that we at home don't
have what it takes to win.


And Monday morning quarterbacks critics that sit all comfy at their desk
at home demeaning their motives, intelligence, education and sense of
duty.

Happened before. Happening again.

Eisboch

Well, well, well. Nothing like going for the "easy" answers that don't
touch upon the problems of endless deployments, the lies that took them
into war, the fear of reporting they are suffering from emotional
problems, the lack of treatment available for alcohol or drug abuse.

Typical right-wing hide your head in the sand bull****.

But that is a leadership issue, not a rank and file issue. So attack the
leaders, not the people who would defend us. Attack the Obama's, congress
and senate for keeping it going. They should either step it up to win or
pull out. These half assed political wars just get good soldiers killed for
nothing.