By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 22, 2007 18:03:21 EDT
Six senators have written Defense Secretary Robert Gates to say that Fort Carson, Colo., lacks the resources to care for combat soldiers returning with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, and that those soldiers still face a stigma when they seek help.
“After meeting with soldiers as well as commanders at the base, our staff concluded that the stigma of mental illness is a significant barrier to care,” the senators wrote to Gates in a letter dated May 23. “They also determined there is a considerable lack of resources to adequately support the psychological needs of our service members and their families, and a lack of training and education regarding mental health problems for leaders from the division level to the unit level.”
Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Barack Obama, D-Ill.; Christopher Bond, R-Mo.; Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; and John Kerry, D-Mass., signed the letter.
The problems first arose when Veterans for America began looking into complaints from soldiers about inadequate mental health resources at Fort Carson. After hearing about the problems, the senators asked for a Government Accountability Office investigation, which was conducted in early May. The senators then sent staff members to Fort Carson to talk to the soldiers themselves.
One soldier told Army Times he had been deployed with a traumatic brain injury, even though his military medical file called for no deployments. Others were offered personality disorder discharges — with no benefits — rather than diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and accompanying benefits.
Yet another said he suffered a panic attack while getting ready to go back to Iraq after two weeks at home for R&R. Rather than send him for help, his unit tried to give him an Article 15, the soldier said. Another soldier said his command accused him of trying to get out of work even as he tried to recover from a traumatic brain injury.
The senators said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, promised to investigate claims of intimidation and lack of access to mental health care.
“Congress and the American people have made clear, especially following the revelations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, that substandard care for injured service members will not be tolerated,” the senators wrote.
“This problem is not unique to Fort Carson,” Boxer said in a statement. “Clearly, we need to be doing more across the board to improve mental health services for our armed forces, and to do that, we need a strong commitment from the secretary of defense.”
Obama asked for “comprehensive reforms that boost mental health resources and training” as well as face-to-face mental health screenings for all returning troops. Clinton asked that more be done to get rid of the stigma soldiers face, as well as that leaders be educated so they know how to properly treat soldiers with PTSD and head injuries.
“When it comes to the poor treatment of some of our soldiers returning from combat, the revelations presented to my staff make Walter Reed look like a minor plot in a greater tragedy,” Bond said. “The military’s handling of some soldiers suffering from mental health problems in unacceptable.”