A blue-ribbon Pentagon task force reported this July that about 38% of soldiers, 31% of Marines and 49% of the National Guard have 'psychological conditions' such as traumatic brain injury (brain damage) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. These numbers were expected to grow because of repeated and extended deployments.
I'd like everyone reading this to lay their politics and personal opinions aside for a moment, and ask themselves: How long is it practically possible to maintain any sort of deployment like the one we have in the combined Iraq and Afghan theaters given this rate of mental injury, in combination with the physical wounds, maiming and actual deaths our troops are also suffering?
Believe it or not, I don't have an answer to that question.
And quite seriously, no matter how strongly you feel about this issue, or how dispassionately you look at these Middle Eastern conflicts, an accurate estimate will be invaluable in anticipating just what direction the Iraq War will go in over the next several months. The 'facts on the ground' can override any other consideration.
Right now, I haven't the foggiest idea. Does the tipping point mean over half of all our ground troops suffering from brain damage, PTSD and serious or crippling injuries? Two thirds? More? And when do we get to that particular point? But again, laying politics aside, I would really like to hear everyone's best assessment. Please comment, and please let me know what you think. Thank you.