Take good care of our returning Aussie diggers
Taking good care of our returned diggers
We need to take good care of our soldiers when they come home from combat duty. Now that the war in Iraq is over, many soldiers are returning home to America suffering from two different disorders - post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI's).
An investigation has uncovered the military's failure to dignose, treat and document brain injuries. Evidence suggests tens of thousands of soldiers are falling through the cracks. PTSD and TBI have similar symptoms but the causes are quite different. PTSD is a psychological disorder that can be treated with medication and therapy, TBI is physical injury to the brain that requires cognitive treatment to help rebuild function. PTSD is a disorder where you remember too much and TBI is a disorder where you don't remember enough.
Individuals with TBI suffer from headaches, dizziness and problems with balance where soldiers with PTSD re-experience events or have emotional or behavioural symptoms like feeling ashamed, feeling fuilty, avoidance types of behaviour etc.
Fortunately, American doctors now recognise the two differences and are working to develop a better understanding of how to treat them.
Any returned servicemen out there care to comment? Things sure have changed from when WWI and II diggers came home - they were left to their own nightmares and expected to get on with it.
I'm with you Toot, not enough is done to assist these service people when they come home. Probably because it doesn't win votes. These men and women put their lives at risk, and death and serious injuries, mental and physical, are all part of what happens when we go to war, and whatever we might think of the various conflicts we get involved in, our servicemen do what has to be done at the behest of the government. They all deserve our full support.
As an aside, an 84 year old friend was telling me that Legacy have trouble getting enough badge sellers - I find that really sad. She was at a stall on both Friday and Saturday, 5 hours each day and it was freezing and wet here in Canberra. I will be there next year, even though I am not a legatee.