Historians Press For Access To Files On Civil War Soldiers From Connecticut

If we are ever going to get to the point where no one ever feels ashamed of serving this country and ending up paying for it with PTSD, this is the way we get there. Uncovering what was known way back in the Civil war, what they went through and what happened to them after is vital to illuminating one simple fact, humans go to war and suffer after it. It really is that simple.

If you read the Bible, it's in there. If you read any history books about ancient warfare, it's in there. Talk to any veteran and you'll see it. None of this is new because humans have the same original design they always did. We can talk all we want about what to do when veterans ask for help but getting them to even want to admit they need help is the hardest battle of all to win. You have to take someone that was trained to kill and risk their lives everyday, then ask them to be "weaker" in their own minds asking for help. This is one of the hardest things to get past. If they understood what it was, they would know it had nothing to do with courage or their ability. It only had to do with being human and being compassionate.

Historians Press For Access To Files On Civil War Soldiers From Connecticut

By JESSE LEAVENWORTH

The Hartford Courant

September 3, 2009


HARTFORD — - Historians seeking to probe the mental health records of Connecticut Civil War veterans pressed their case Wednesday at a state Freedom of Information Commission hearing.

The state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has refused to allow researchers unfettered access to records at what is now Connecticut Valley Hospital, formerly the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane.

The main sticking point is researchers' insistence that they be allowed to use individual patients' names in a planned book on Connecticut's role in the war. The state's position is that research could be allowed, but unrestricted use of names would violate patient confidentiality laws.
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Historians Press For Access To Files On Civil War