Military articles make me very sad. Promises broken by the government, to its soldiers... the bad treatment of vets now... it's pathetic. You make a promise, you keep it. You promised a thousand dollars a month, give it up. You promised medical care for vets, let's see it happen.

Wow, Tex. That pretty low. I'm at a loss for words.

Jythier: It sucks about the $3K (which is actually not $3K, it's really $2400), but it's not something most people can't live without.

The fact that we can never depend on anything or trust anything we're promised is what is hard to deal with.

$3K is no big deal. Lack of suitable care for injured Soldiers is.

Haha, and interestingly enough at that same FRG meeting a Chaplain doing a presentation told us that "PTSD is a NORMAL reaction to an abnormal situation." Oh, really? Is that why it's called a DISORDER? Because it's "normal"? WTFE.

shades: We'll see. They may still make good on it. I was just shocked to hear it talked about as if it were still up in the air.

shit! that's all I have to say,. left, right, center, shit! pentagon, shit, DOD, shit, war, shit, extended tours, shit! shit shit shit!

"PTSD is a NORMAL reaction to an abnormal situation."

It's a disorder because it affects your life in a meaningful way.

The fact that it is normal, however, does not mean that it should not be treated properly.

I hope this situation is addressed quickly and satisifactorily (or satisfactorily as possible) for everyone involved.  Like others have said above, if you make a promise to our service members or their families you better damned sure keep it.  {madsmiley goes here}

a Chaplain doing a presentation told us that "PTSD is a NORMAL reaction to an abnormal situation." Oh, really? Is that why it's called a DISORDER? Because it's "normal"?

The briefing that I saw (which was actually the outline for teaching the briefing, they didn't actually want to sit us all down at once) made a distinction between post-traumatic stress and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The stress is normal, but developing an ongoing disorder is something to be guarded against. Again, at least that's the distinction that I saw.


I hadn't heard about the extra money, except as an extension of an idea that was around when I came in. The idea was that if you were away from your home station for more than a certain amount of tim per year, you'd get additional money for that time away. But it never paid out, and they kind of suspended it when 9/11 happened, anyway.

Sorry they got you wound up, kiddo. You need anything, let me know.

MM: Well said.

Jythier:

The definition of "disorder" is not "something that affects your life in a meaningful way." Where did you get that from?

No, it's not normal. Just because something happens doesn't make it normal.

terp: I agree. It's not necessarily that the money is OWED to extended Soldiers so much as it's shitty to announce it and PR it and then not do it. If you don't intend to do, don't go around saying it.

And yes, there were press releases and new stories covering it when the extensions were announced. It was announced as a certainty and the American people bought it.

pseudo: The chaplain giving the presentation (BATTLEMIND, are you familiar with it?) kept using the terms "PTSD" and "combat stress" interchangeably. I honestly feel like the Army would like to downplay genuine PTSD and severe mental problems related to the deployments by re-labeling them and making them seem "normal".

Luckily so far Adrian does not seem to be having problems coping although he has seen and experienced some pretty messed up shit. We'll see how things go when he gets home, but I think he will be ok. He is a very strong person.

The $ thing is new...announced along with the deployment extensions. It was part of the whole "12 months at home, we're doing such nice things for the Soldiers" message.

Thanks for caring. I appreciate it.

The chaplain giving the presentation (BATTLEMIND, are you familiar with it?) kept using the terms "PTSD" and "combat stress" interchangeably. I honestly feel like the Army would like to downplay genuine PTSD and severe mental problems related to the deployments by re-labeling them and making them seem "normal".

I think I've been recently exposed to "Battlemind"... your perceptions of the presentation are accurate to your experience, I'm certain, although I still think the original packet made the distinction. Your chaplain may have blurred the lines (easy to do with the packet as presented), and the intent of the entire presentation is open to interpretation. I hope that it simply makes people more aware of the issue of PTSD; one of the things that holds people back from getting any sort of mental health assistance is that they feel "different" or "damaged" in ways that other people "can't understand"... telling them that they're not alone may help them to seek help.

Anyway, drop me your email addy at my username @hotmail.com please? I'd tell you "first.last@gmail.com" but I'm not sure you know my full non-pseudonym name.

Love ya.

Aww, Tex, I don't know what to say either. I just hope the administration realises how valuable people like Adrian are and comes good on their promise.

sigh. I hope it's a case of stupid rear d guys unaware of what is going on and not a case of the Army trashing the troops.

double post

So me being the type of person I am....I had to follow up on this. I checked with MY rear d and with another unit's CSM to find out the status. As per one CPT and one CSM...the Army's official policy is still $1K per month after 12 months of deployment.

So rest easy knowing that in this small instance...the Army is not screwing you...you just ahve a clueless Rear D.

the Army is not screwing you...you just ahve a clueless Rear D.

Of course, if the paperwork isn't done right...

Take notes, including dates, of what you were told and when. You know, in case IG needs a phone call later.