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How Can the Army Best Serve a Soldier with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

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How Can the Army Best Serve a Soldier with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? No. 71 FEBRUARY 2009 Collateral Damage: How Can the Army Best Serve a Soldier With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? Richard B. O’Connor A National Security Affairs aperP published on occasion by THE INSTITUTE OF LAND WARFARE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Arlington, Virginia Collateral Damage: How Can the Army Best Serve a Soldier With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? by Richard B. O’Connor The Institute of Land Warfare ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY AN INSTITUTE OF LAND WARFARE PAPER The purpose of the Institute of Land Warfare is to extend the educational work of AUSA by sponsoring scholarly publications, to include books, monographs and essays on key defense issues, as well as workshops and symposia. A work selected for publication as a Land Warfare Paper represents research by the author which, in the opinion of ILW’s editorial board, will contribute to a better understanding of a particular defense or national security issue. Publication as an Institute of Land Warfare Paper does not indicate that the Association of the United States Army agrees with everything in the paper, but does suggest that the Association believes the paper will stimulate the thinking of AUSA members and others concerned about important defense issues. LAND WARFARE PAPER NO. 71, FEBRUARY 2009 Collateral Damage: How Can the Army Best Serve a Soldier With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by Richard B. O’Connor Colonel Richard B. O’Connor, USA, is currently serving as Deputy Chief, Distribution Division, J-4 (Logistics), Joint Staff, in the Pentagon. Following his high school graduation in 1976, he joined the Army as a helicopter crew chief. He was first assigned to the 4/7 Cavalry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division, in South Korea, and then to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). When he completed his active duty enlistment in the summer of 1979, he joined the Army National Guard and used his G.I. Bill benefits to attend Northeastern University, where he participated in the ROTC program. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration, he was commissioned as an Army officer and began the second phase of his military career. Over the past 23 years, he has served in various command and staff assignments. He has also deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. Colonel O’Connor is also a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School and a recent graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University. This paper represents the opinions of the author and should not be taken to represent the views of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, the United States government, the Institute of Land Warfare, or the Association of the United States Army or its members. © Copyright 2009 by The Association of the United States Army All rights reserved. Inquiries regarding this and future Land Warfare Papers should be directed to: AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare, Attn: Director, ILW Programs, 2425 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA 22201, e-mail [email protected] or telephone (direct dial) 703-907-2627 or (toll free) 1-800-336-4570, ext. 226. ii Contents Foreword ..............................................................................................................................v Preface ............................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 A Look in the Rearview Mirror ...........................................................................................2 The American Revolution ..............................................................................................3 The American Civil War ................................................................................................3 World War I ....................................................................................................................3 World War II ..................................................................................................................5 The Korean War .............................................................................................................6 The Vietnam War ...........................................................................................................7 Post-Vietnam War through the Gulf War .......................................................................7 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom ......................................................8 Defining Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ............................................................................9 Soldier Testimonies ............................................................................................................10 A Second-Generation Soldier ......................................................................................10 Following in Her Grandfathers’ Footsteps ..................................................................11 Frozen in the Moment ..................................................................................................12 No Purple Heart for Rape ............................................................................................13 A Psychologist’s Perspective .............................................................................................14 Emerging Themes ..............................................................................................................16 What the Studies Found .....................................................................................................17 2001–2002 ...................................................................................................................18 2003–2005 ...................................................................................................................18 2006–Present ...............................................................................................................20 Mental Health Advisory Team IV .........................................................................20 Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health ..........................................21 Rand Study ............................................................................................................22 Recommendations for Army Action ..................................................................................22 Recommendations for Army Follow-on Studies ................................................................23 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................24 Endnotes .............................................................................................................................25 iii iv Foreword The number of Soldiers returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is staggering and frightening. The Army leadership is desperately trying to catch up with diagnosis, training and treatment of the compounding number of Soldiers suffering from PTSD. Throughout this study, the author posed the following question to Soldiers in the Warrior Transition Units: “How is the Army serving the Soldier with PTSD?” This is an issue that concerns—or should concern—all of us. The impact of PTSD is felt not only by the Soldiers themselves but also by their families and friends, their fellow Soldiers, the Army in which they serve and the communities they return to. We as a nation owe it to these brave men and women to establish a comprehensive strategy for addressing PTSD—through thorough preparation before it occurs and identification of the symptoms and proper and immediate treatment. Colonel O’Connor’s paper is a well-researched examination of an issue that is too often overlooked; it is also the thoughtful public expression of a father’s deep concern for the well-being of his Soldier son, and we are glad he brought it to us. Gordon R. Sullivan General, U.S. Army Retired President, Association of the United States Army February 2009 v vi Preface As a squadron commander in the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom III from February 2005 to February 2006, I was responsible for the health and welfare of more than 1,000 Soldiers, over 50 percent of them on their second tour in Iraq. Unfortunately, the squadron was not provided any training on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the Combat Support Team attached to the regiment during combat was not sufficiently effective or well integrated into the organization so that all Soldiers could receive mental health care. As I entered my 32nd year of service, I decided it was time to reflect on my experiences and write this paper with three objectives in mind. First, as an officer, I needed to learn more about military mental health care and the impact PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) have had on the Soldiers and the Army. Two, as a colonel and a commander I need to understand how best to support the Soldiers suffering from TBI and PTSD and remove any stigma associated with PTSD. The third reason is personal. My son Ryan joined the Army at the young age of 17 to serve his nation; he stepped eagerly onto the battlefield, highly trained and ready for the rigors of combat. What I believe the Army overlooked was the importance of training him and his leaders about combat stress. Ryan, a
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