The Soul Stealer - Soldiers of War | PART 1

The Soul Stealer

September 15, 2010, Operation Dragon Strike, Zhari District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Operation Dragon focused on reclaiming the southern province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban or as known to the troops, "The Heart of Darkness." A coalition movement of troops conducted a series of attacks by coordinating troop movements through the area. The main unit leading the operation was the 101st Airborne Division. Marching through fields of cannabis, poppy fields, and villages engaging Taliban fighters in kill or capture operations against insurgent fighters. 34 American soldiers died; many more are suffering from the after-effects of war.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and combat soldiers are no strangers. People who have served on the front lines from World 1 through the Afghanistan wars have experienced the traumas of war. Our country teaches us to respect others and follow our land's laws. A soldier follows orders, even if the order goes against their moral fiber, the soldier obeys. For some, it took a toll on their mental and physical health. Moral Injury, a symptom of PTSD was never more pronounced than during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. There were no clear battle lines. You could not tell a combatant from a civilian.

There was street fighting with civilians all around. Landmines were another issue. Soldiers were dying, wounded, or maimed. WW1 or WW2 where there were apparent reasons for those wars. Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan have always been questionable. Did we need to be there?

Why does the US get involved in foreign wars? The "Just War Theory" lays out rules of ethical engagement and loss of life. War must be the last resort. Before a war can start (in theory), it must be approved by a legitimate authority like the President of the United States. War is only to correct a wrong that has occurred.

There must also be a reasonable chance of righting the wrong so peace will be restored to the region. The amount of force should not exceed what is necessary to right the wrong. War should not harm Innocent civilians and noncombatants.

In Vietnam, combat soldiers cleared out villages which may have resulted in innocent civilian deaths. Easily explained as casualties of war. As if that one simple statement, "casualties of war" makes it all right.

What about the struggle of our veterans whose moral compass is spinning to make sense of everything they have been through?

How does one justify moral injustices? How long does it take? So many lives were lost or ruined, and families were broken apart by the acts of war. Men and women who came home were different, struggling to survive, unsure how to resume a normal life after serving.

The effects of PTSD were present in soldiers from the Vietnam war through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

By 1980, the America Psychiatric Association added PTSD to its manual of disorders. PTSD is a result of the traumatic event(s) and stressors.

Listed below are some of the symptoms experienced by those who suffer from PTSD and Moral Injury.

Moral Injury

Moral Injury often goes undiagnosed as a symptom of PTSD.

Like PTSD, MI can appear later in life or even last a lifetime. Since September 11, 30,000 service personnel and veterans have died by suicide. Four times the number of deaths by suicide before September 11. How could this be happening to our soldiers? One known cause is multiple tours of duty. In 2010 close to 300,000 soldiers had served more than 3-5 tours of duty in combat in Afghanistan. The cause and effect this has on a soldier’s psyche increase the chances of PTSD. The continued assault of traumatic events can only hurt the mind. Combat Soldiers are more likely to suffer from PTSD. Men have a higher rate of PTSD than women.

The VA published an article that outlined the number of veterans estimated to be suffering from PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/co mmon_veterans.asp

It is estimated that 500,000 veterans have suffered because of serving in wartime. There are more men than women in service, so it is completely understandable why the rate of men suffering from PTSD is higher than that of women. What is interesting is that most women report MST (Military Sexual Trauma). Twenty-three out of one hundred women have reported sexual assault while serving in the military. Fifty-five women out of one hundred have reported sexual harassment, while 38% of the men serving have reported sexual harassment. Our men and women are put in impossible positions and must make difficult choices while engaged with the enemy. Some of those choices that were morally out of bounds are etched in the back of the veteran’s mind and buried deep.

As a country and a community, we need to WAKE UP and realize how much these men and women need our help!

>Join us next month for Soul Stealer – Part 2 - Living with PTSD

A Veteran’s Story

Bill had served two tours in Afghanistan. Upon re-entry to society after serving his country, Bill struggled. He reached out to the VA, looking for help and assistance. He was appointed a VA fiduciary to assist with his service pay. Beyond someone managing his money and paying his bills, he was still struggling internally. Bill was Americanborn and of Russian ancestry. Like the Quakers, he was a part of the Molokans (dairyeaters), a spiritual Christian sect.

The atrocities he felt he had committed prevented him from going home. His community would shun him if it ever came out what he did overseas. He was guilt-ridden, paranoid, erratic, and hypersexual; he was scared and alone. The VA did not have a support system in place to help. There was no titrated re-entry into society. The VA failed to support this veteran and many others suffering from mental health issues. He lived a few more years before he took his life