Moral Injury of Combat PTSD Focus of New on Old

ADVOCATES PUSH TO GET VETS TREATMENT FOR MORAL INJURY
ABC 7 News
Friday, August 08, 2014

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A push is underway to educate people about veterans who have Moral Injury, a mental health issue that is different from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Kyle Radke of Lockport, Ill., an Air Force veteran, served in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing air support to ground troops and directing air strikes. He deals with a condition called Moral Injury.

"A lot of the times, I couldn't save everyone," he explained. "I wondered, did I do the right thing. Did I do enough?"

Moral Injury is described as the inner conflict of your personal moral code or values versus the military.

"You join the military and you learn a warrior code, and then you might participate in or do things that violate your personal moral code, such as killing," said retired Maj. Gen. James Mukoyama, a veteran of the U.S. Army and president of Military Outreach USA.

Military Outreach USA is a group that focuses entirely on helping veterans like Radke. As part of its mission, the group is working to educate religious leaders, health care professionals and even businesses about moral injury.

"The time for research is over. It is now time for action," said Mukoyama. "And what we give, is practical steps that people at the local level, communities and churches, can use."
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