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It seems that the minimum amount of counseling that should be mandatory for soldiers transitioning from the fog of war back into society should be equal to the amount of coaching which prepared the soldiers for war.

I say "mandatory" because it's common for most men to try and find their way without asking for directions. Wounds need to be treated wether you can see them or not.

Maybe this incident in Fort Hood will shine some light on the situation and lead to improvements.
Maybe more people will perceive what training for warfare does to those expected to participate in it, and call for a permanent cease fire. One day.

It has not been determined that the shootings at Ft. Hood were precipitated by mental distress by anything indigenous to being in the military. The psychiatrist who shot all those soldiers may have other motivations--his religious doctrine as he was a devout Muslim and, apparently a jihadist.

Ft. Hood is reputed to have an excellent mental health program for its soldiers. The incidence of suicides there is far lower than in other military bases, the psychiatrist who went berserk one who instituted some changes in routine there, such as mandatory ending of the work day by 6 pm, overtime to be severely limited, etc.

Before one goes off on drawing conclusions about this incident being caused by some sort of stress just by being in the military, the facts of this incident need to be known and examined. He may have targeted these soldiers because they were being readied to head to Iraq where, of course, the would be fighting against and killing other Muslims. It is reported he was hollering as he fired, "All is great." He had been under watch by the FBI for six months for a posting he made on the web condoning suicide bombers, equating them with a solder who throws himself on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. Is that what he thought he was doing, shooting other solders to save Iraqis and Afghanistan muslims they were heading off to kill?

If it were depression, one would think he would have taken his angst out on himself. But he didn't. He targeted soldiers whom he knew were heading to Iraq and Afghanistan. Wigged out? Or a terrorist.

Since he survived, if he recovers enough, there will be a trial and more facts, including his motivation will come to light.

One improvement that needs to be made on our bases is an adequate force of MP's. Since the Carter administration our troops have been unarmed when on their bases. Current MP patrols are inadequate, obviously, as this incident so sadly illustrates. It was a civilian cop, not a military copy who had to respond.

Ideally, we would have no wars But since we do, we need to thoroughly screen our prospective soldiers. Who is to blame for this incident? Maybe the FBI for having the information they had and not vetting this fellow more closely. If there is a trial, we will find out.

The man was indeed under stress, and I agree that we don't know the details of what motivated him and should not assume it was an act of terrorism, though that will most likely be the focus of the media.

The woman who brought him down, Sgt. Kimberly Munley, is described as "a civilian Department of Defense police officer at the base ... a talented shooter and member of the base's Special Reaction Team which trains for the possibility of events like Thursday's shooting rampage." in an article at Time.com view link

GothamGal, I agree with everything that you have said, but nonetheless, this guy did see patients; soldiers who had been in combat and needed his help, and there are reports that at least one, and maybe more of his patients, committed suicide after seeing him. What kind of counseling was he doing?

He received a “poor” rating from his supervisors at Walter Reed Army Hospital and was transferred to Ft. Hood. The army has a short supply of psychiatrist and I think it is legitimate to question the general quality of mental health care that soldiers receive when they return from combat. This has been a topic of discussion in the media for some time now, notwithstanding that Fort Hood may have a good track record; still there is a problem.

Vietnam was the longest shooting war in American history and it appears that the war in Afghanistan is going to go on much longer than the war in Vietnam. Rotations into combat by today’s military are a lot different than it was in Vietnam; troops are doing 3, 4, and even 5 tours of duty in a combat zone.

This is not solely about the shooter at Ft. Hood but the shooter at Ft. Hood, being a psychiatrist, who appears had loyalties more with his religious faith than with the army, does raise some questions about the army mental health service. When a psychiatrist who is offering mental health services to others did not know to seek mental health services for himself something is array. The guy should have been relieved of his duties earlier and reassessed as to other jobs, administrative, etc., that he might do. I was in the US Army Medical Corp and served at Fort Hood Darnell Army Hospital, and while I’m sure a lot has changed since then, still in my opinion someone dropped the ball.

I started this discussion about men and mental health, and more specifically the military and mental health treatment, and while the shooter at Ft. Hood may have been the impetus he is not the main focus. Still I thank you for your input, and as eariler said I agree.

I watched the top US Army Commander, Chief of Staff Four-Star General George Casey, on CNN’s State of the Union this morning, and he stated that the shootings at Ft. Hood this past Thursday will give them pause to re-evaluate the army’s mental health services.

General Casey stated that combat soldiers need at least a 2-year turn around period before being placed back into a combat zone and that is not currently happening. I found that statement rather alarming. And as alarming was his acknowledgement that suicides in the army have steady increased every year since 2004, with the largest number of suicides in the army happening this year. General Casey said that the army mental health services are not operating at their full potential; which I think is and understatement

I found this interview between General Casey and CNN’s John King rather revealing. This show will air several times today; the link below has the times.

view link

I think this is changing, at least in the civilian community. More and more men are seeking professional counseling and even medications if they find they need it. BTW, men actually make some of the better patients.

"This incident will definitely set back the campaign to try and get combat military to trust a psychiatrist...... Given that in the larger American society men go to prison for the same basic reasons that women go to therapy. There are overwhelmingly more females in outpatient therapy here in America then there are males, and there are overwhelmingly more males in prison than there are females...." -EZ2

"The woman who brought him down, Sgt. Kimberly Munley, is described as 'a civilian Department of Defense police officer at the base ... a talented shooter and member of the base's Special Reaction Team which trains for the possibility of events like Thursday's shooting rampage.' - BB

Seems like the arming more women with guns is a good idea!

science,
no way in heck would i go along with the thinking that before being released back into civilian life a service man would have to undergo 4 years of untraining. my father,who was a sea bee on guadacanal,did the battle of the walled city in the retaking of the manila (learned to despise filapinos during that engagement but that is another story) and was 1/2 way across the pacific for the invasion of japan when they dropped both nukes on them gave me this advice which i followed to the letter;
1- never but never go to any company reunion.
2- forget the whole affair. (sure is similar to it don't mean nothing drive on)
3- make a life and never look back.
4- in 20 years it will be like a movie that happened to someone else.
while my father and i never had what would be called a close touchy feely relationship i took his words to heart.
5- they work!!!!!
jack
ps. a nut is a nut. they can throw off all the excuses they want but in the end they are simply flawed. and yes eugenics are in many ways correct. faulty breeding stock never results in superior offspring.

Fair enough chef. 4 years of untraining probably wouldn't fix a nut. But not everyone had a good advisor like you. How do YOU suggest we help the ones who can't help themselves?