The US Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for the healthcare (including mental) of veterans. They have a 87 Billion dollar annual budget. I don't know how well they do their job, but with money like that one would think they can do a lot.
Of course, a few slip through the fingers. And then you have a PTSD killing machine on the loose. Add the readily available heavy firearms in the USA and things escalate very quickly. We (I'm also from the Netherlands), have the 'luxery' that if a PTSD soldier goes berserk, he'll have a very hard time finding a firearm and if he does manage, it will usually only be a pistol, not an assault rifle. And it's happened here as well, don't fool yourself in believing otherwise. Because of our privacy protection the background behind killings/assaults are often not mentioned in the press, after all, until the person is convicted, by which time the press lost interest in all but the most high profile cases.
Of course, we also have far fewer soldiers per capita in warzones and none in a full-scale warzone like Iraq was immediately after the invasion, so Dutch PTSD cases are also likely to be less severe in general, although some cases are known of people who started seeing Taliban behind every object and completely snapped.
But the problem is a general one. You turn people into killing machines and put them in inhumanly stressful conditions, causing mental changes triggered by pure survival instinct. Put those people back in the oh, so calm daily rural environment and you effectively planted a dodgy timebomb in your own back yard. But what is the alternative? Lock soldiers up in Guantanamo for five years being prodded out by shrinks until they check out?
Of course, a few slip through the fingers. And then you have a PTSD killing machine on the loose. Add the readily available heavy firearms in the USA and things escalate very quickly. We (I'm also from the Netherlands), have the 'luxery' that if a PTSD soldier goes berserk, he'll have a very hard time finding a firearm and if he does manage, it will usually only be a pistol, not an assault rifle. And it's happened here as well, don't fool yourself in believing otherwise. Because of our privacy protection the background behind killings/assaults are often not mentioned in the press, after all, until the person is convicted, by which time the press lost interest in all but the most high profile cases.
Of course, we also have far fewer soldiers per capita in warzones and none in a full-scale warzone like Iraq was immediately after the invasion, so Dutch PTSD cases are also likely to be less severe in general, although some cases are known of people who started seeing Taliban behind every object and completely snapped.
But the problem is a general one. You turn people into killing machines and put them in inhumanly stressful conditions, causing mental changes triggered by pure survival instinct. Put those people back in the oh, so calm daily rural environment and you effectively planted a dodgy timebomb in your own back yard. But what is the alternative? Lock soldiers up in Guantanamo for five years being prodded out by shrinks until they check out?
Former www.diablo2.com webmaster.
When in deadly danger,
When beset by doubt,
Run in little circles,
Wave your arms and shout.
When in deadly danger,
When beset by doubt,
Run in little circles,
Wave your arms and shout.