Gunman killed 12 at Navy yard, press slammed thousands

Here is another headline for you
VA: Aaron Alexis never sought treatment for PTSD

Washington Navy Yard Day From Hell leaving 12 dead and 8 injured along with hundreds in shock. Family and friends of the shooter are dealing with a lot of questions along with family and friends of his victims. Reporters are trying to figure out how to get more attention for their reports by making sure they PTSD tied into the motive.

The headlines are starting to show up like this one from USA Today
PTSD reportedly affected alleged shooter

Why not? After all, using PTSD doesn't cost them anything but it does cost veterans with PTSD more stress because reporters focus on the minority of veterans committing crimes instead of the real suffering going on.

VA claims
Post-9/11 (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts) claims make up 21% of the total inventory and 22% of the backlog Gulf War (definition) claims make up 23% of the total inventory and 21% of the backlog
Peacetime (period between end of Vietnam and Gulf War) claims make up 11% of the total inventory and 11% of the backlog
Vietnam claims make up 37% of the total inventory and 38% of the backlog
Korean War claims make 4% of the total inventory and 4% of the backlog
World War II claims make up 3% of the total inventory and 3% of the backlog
Other era claims make up 1% of the total inventory and 1% of the backlog

While not all of these claims are for PTSD there are hundreds of thousands of veterans with PTSD from all wars. The truth is they are more likely to commit suicide than commit any kind of crime but the press doesn't focus on that part. There are 55 veterans a day trying to kill themselves while at least 22 a day succeed.

Washington gunman hails from New York, called ‘sweet,’ ‘peaceful’ despite rap sheet The 6-foot-one, 190-pound shooter was born in Queens, according to the FBI. Friends described him as a ‘sweet’ and ‘peaceful’ guy who studied Buddhism, but he had a history of anger-driven incidents that got him in trouble with the law, arrest records show. (New York Daily News, Ginger Adams Otis, September 16, 2013)

The "peaceful guy" decided to kill people yesterday but the press decided they would yet again make sure they tied PTSD to the story.

I talk to these guys all the time and they are more likely to harm themselves than anyone else. The systems treating them are pitiful examples of what is wrong. When you read a story about someone like the shooter being treated it is more an example of the failures of these "systems" than a reflection of what a veteran is.