By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 22, 2008
VILSECK, Germany — A soldier who refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq because of a “deeply held personal belief” that he should not take a human life will spend the next six months in jail before being thrown out of the Army.
Spc. Benjamin Stewart, 25, of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, pleaded guilty Wednesday to missing movement on Jan. 7, 2008, when he was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. Stewart had already been convicted — and reduced in rank from sergeant to specialist — of being absent without leave when the bulk of the regiment deployed last summer.
Stewart told the court that he refused to deploy because of what he experienced during his last deployment to Mosul, Iraq, from 2004 to 2005.
“I saw a mother and her infant child get killed in crossfire. I saw children lose their limbs in a car bomb. One boy lost an arm and another lost both legs,” he said.
go here for the rest
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52686
This is what still happens when the military is supposed to be enlightened finally.
Lt. Col. Thomas Rickard told Stewart that: “Twenty years ago in Panama we would have stripped a soldier naked, beat him up, thrown him in a van and dumped him for not deploying.”
The piece also states that he will be given a dishonorable discharge. If this does not all sound like classic PTSD, then nothing does. Why wasn't he seen by a psychiatrist? He showed the symptoms of PTSD. Then again given what Lt. Col. Thomas Rickard had to say to him, that apparently wouldn't do much good.
Why is this still happening in the military? Why are they still thinking with dark ages mentalities? What does Rickard want to do? Go back to the time when they used to shoot PTSD soldiers for being cowards? He was close enough to that on what he said alone.
They can claim they are now doing the right thing for our wounded soldiers but this is still going on. If you want to know why so many are still not seeking help for PTSD, ask Rickard. I'm sure you'll get an ear full. I wonder how many under his command committed suicide because he is such a narrow minded fool?
Kathi,
ReplyDeleteIf I had really made that quote, I would be a fool. But I didn't. Seth Robson, who wrote the article, combined multiple statements and attributed them to me. We have the court transcripts and witness statements to prove it. Truth is, I told the staff duty NCO to secure Stewart and ensure that he DIDN'T get harmed in any way after Stewart refused to deploy that night. The young sergeant on duty seemed puzzled and I further explained that about 20 years ago there was an incident where a Soldier was beaten and forced to deploy anyway. I'm quite sensitive to PTSD issues and deployed to OIF 04-06 in Mosul. Your quick assessment of an entire situation based on reading one poorly written S&S article indicates that you may the narrow minded one here. - LTC Tom Rickard, Vilseck, GE
LTC Tom Rickard, Vilseck, GE
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how happy you just made me by saying that. After all these years, when I read comments like the one reported said by you, I get sick to my stomach. I've been doing this for 25 years and still today there are many in the military with that kind of attitude. I'm glad you are not one of them.
As for quick assessment, that comes with a very, very long track record of keeping tabs on what is going on. I'm sure you can see by the amount of post on this blog, which is fast approaching 1,000 here since August and almost 10,000 on my other blog. My agenda is to remove the stigma of PTSD and I've been living and breathing it since I fell in love with a Vietnam vet with PTSD. I've seen the worst treatment of them and I'm always happy to report on when the military and the VA are getting it right. The leadership getting it right deserve as much credit as the advocates working on this but those who do hold the attitude of PTSD being the fault of the soldier will not be ignored.
Again, I'm glad you are not one of them. Please email me and tell me what you are doing to help the soldiers with PTSD and I'll be more than happy to report it.
Kathie,
ReplyDeleteGlad that you understand better what transpired in Stewart's case and that the military is quite serious about diagnosing and treating PTSD. One big remaining hurdle, recently addressed by OSD, is adjusting the security clearance surveys to allow those applying to be able to answer "yes" to the mental counseling question without fear of clearance revokation.
We have multiple levels of PTSD screening available, from anonymous counseling with Military Family Life Consultants (MFLCs) to post-graduate level counselors and psychiatrists. The only advantage to most Army Soldiers having deployed multiple times to OIF/OEF is that nearly everyone has great appreciation for the stresses of combat, even if not directly experienced. PTSD is a genuaine concern for today's leaders. Please know that military leaders are often much more erudite and savvy than sterotypes attached to us. We are not cavemen but we are a representative cross-section of American society. Remember that the men and women in uniform today were in high schools and colleges across the USA and its protectorates not long ago. Thank you for your contrition and support. - LTC Tom Rickard
LTC Rickard, you have no idea how relieved I am. 25 years of my life has gone into removing the stigma of PTSD and when I read about another soldier committing suicide, another veteran committing suicide, another family suffering, or when I read about comments like the one attributed to you, I feel as if my life has been wasted. We've come so far since the Vietnam veterans, like my husband came home, but there is so much more work to be done. I thank you very much for letting me know how you really feel about these wounded heroes. It has nothing to do with anything other than the fact they are humans exposed to abnormal events. They are no more responsible for being wounded by this than if they had been struck by a bullet or a bomb. If we treat them early, we can save their lives and restore them to being a vital part of a unit again, in many cases. With the different levels of PTSD, it is possible. The longer the delay in treating them, the deeper the wound festers. While it is never too late to begin to heal, the damage done between wound and heal, cannot be erased. This is why it is imperative to be there as soon as they know they need help. Educating them is also key, as well as their families so they know what to watch out for.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for making my heart relieved.
Hello! I would like to know how Spc Stewart will get help for PTSD since a less than honorable discharge will cause the VA to refuse eligability?
ReplyDeleteAlso do you have a email where I can contact you off blog?
Thanks
Good question but it's been asked about 23,000 other times from soldiers given less than honorable discharges under the excuse of "personality disorder" which would mean, they would have had to have had it before they enlisted. Nice little catch when you think about it. Most had absolutely no problems at all until they were sent into combat and suddenly after multiple deployments, they were "diagnosed" with personality disorders providing them absolutely nothing.
ReplyDeleteSpc. Stewart, although there does not appear to have been any mental health assessment, all the indications are there based on what was reported. I'd bet my last buck he has it. If they do not diagnose him before they give him the boot, he's screwed. He'll have a hard time finding a job and then if he gets one, he's in for a fight with the VA as well as private healthcare insurance companies. If they find he has PTSD, the insurance companies will tell him it's the responsibility of the government to cover his care. It's a classic catch 22. Stories like this are way so many across the county fight our ass off to make sure the wounded are cared for instead of just tossed away.
You can email me at Namguardiananagel@aol.com