Bales' military town knows stress of multiple tours

Bales' military town knows stress of multiple tours
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

No one here knows what might have happened to Staff Sgt. Robert Bales in Afghanistan, but most in this military town do know about the stress of multiple tours in war zones.

"I hear that in World War II they only did 11-month tours of duty and then they rotated out," says Fred LaMotte, 63, who teaches soldiers at Central Texas College.

"That's nothing compared to what these people are doing. Four tours of duty. That erodes the soul. For most soldiers, it's just too much," he says. "Imagine coming home from Iraq and hardly being able to breathe for a few months and then you're sent back?"
read more here