A battle shows how US military grapples with troops in trauma

Dying faces, body bags: A battle shows how US military grapples with troops in trauma

Published July 24, 2010
Associated Press
FORWARD OPERATING BASE BOSTICK, Afghanistan (AP) — More than half a year after one of the deadliest battles ever waged by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the men of Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry are still fighting in — and with — their memories.

They cannot forget Oct. 3, 2009. On that day, 300 insurgents attacked two outposts in eastern Afghanistan manned by 72 soldiers, sparking a 12-hour fight. By nightfall, eight U.S. soldiers were dead. Three days later, the outposts were closed.

Like so many of their comrades, they suffer from mental trauma. Nearly 20 percent of the 1.6 million troops who had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress or major depression, according to a 2008 study by Rand Corp.

Only slightly more than half of those sought treatment. So more and more, the army is bringing treatment to them whether they ask for it or not.

After Oct. 3, most of the 18 men in Bravo troop — part of the Army's 4th Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, Colo. — met with counselors. Some went voluntarily, others under orders.
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