Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Tacoma News Tribune
March 15, 2009
Pg. 1
By Scott Fontaine
RAMADI, Iraq -- Harry York set sail for the San Juan Islands and left behind the war, the stress, his career and all the unwanted attention.
The Auburn native was burned out after a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan, where he piloted CH-47 Chinook helicopters with the Washington National Guard.
Today, from his office in Camp Ramadi, Iraq, where he serves with the 81st Brigade Combat Team, Maj. York clearly recalls the tipping point.
On a mission with Special Forces soldiers just south of Kandahar on Dec. 5, 2005, he came under small-arms fire from Taliban fighters. One passenger was shot in the leg. Hydraulic fluid was spraying all over the cockpit. He safely landed out of harm's way just minutes before the damage would have destroyed the aircraft and killed everyone in it.
Other soldiers treated him like one of their own when he returned. The incident, though, gnawed at him. York didn't seek any attention; he figured he was just a pilot doing what he knew.
He returned to Washington in summer 2006 and rented a sailboat for what was supposed to be a weeklong trip. It lasted three months, and it convinced him to get out of the military.
"I remember the exact moment when I decided I was done," he said last week. "I was on the sailboat in the San Juans, anchored in this little cove, and I heard a splash. I saw a family of sea otters eating shellfish.
"It was absolutely peaceful. I said to myself, 'You know what? I'm not going back.' "
He e-mailed his resignation to his commanding officer. Only when his co-workers called York to tell him to turn in his equipment did he consider returning.
He decided he wanted a promotion to major and a job at the National Guard Bureau in suburban Washington, D.C.
"I wanted to be just another guy commuting from work, showing up at the office and heading home," he said. "I didn't want any of the attention."
Combat- and deployment-related stress takes a silent toll on many in the military - a problem that is impossible to quantify and can be difficult to treat. Some, like York, can return after a break. Others leave the armed services altogether.
But for a growing number, the stress is deadly. Suicide numbers in the Army continue to climb even as combat operations are winding down in Iraq.
At least 128 soldiers committed suicide last year, the highest rate in three decades. And the Army believes that up to 24 soldiers took their lives in January alone, eight more than the number of combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan during the same month.
The 81st Brigade returns from a yearlong mobilization this summer, and professionals in Iraq, Camp Murray and the Pentagon hope an array of programs and information sessions will help soldiers suffering from stress.
But the structure of the National Guard presents a particular problem: The change from civilian life to full-time soldier in a war zone can be a drastic shift, and because most Guardsmen train part-time, others in their unit often aren't around to witness subtle changes in behavior.
"The National Guard is doing the best they can, given the circumstances," said Maj. Kurt Shevalier of Lacey, the 81st's medical operations officer who's on his second Iraq tour with the brigade. "But one of the circumstances is that we don't have that day-to-day contact with the guys."
Time to think
As the war in Iraq changes, so do the issues mental health specialists treat.
"Boredom is a real problem," said Lt. Jeffrey Edelman, a psychologist assigned to Camp Ramadi. "Before, when there was constant combat, guys didn't have time to think about what was going on at home."
Marital problems, personal problems and frustration with leadership are the leading complaints among service members, said Edelman, a 43-year-old reservist from Arizona who helps run the Camp Ramadi combat stress and mental health clinic with an Army reserve unit based in Indianapolis.
The way service members communicate with their loved ones has evolved since the 2003 invasion. Internet cafes are routinely packed with soldiers and contractors talking on Skype, the Internet-based phone and video service. That can mean instant updates on what's happening back home - but an enhanced feeling of distance and helplessness when something goes wrong and the situation is out of the soldier's control.
The on-base clinic, staffed by a psychologist, a psychology nurse practitioner and three behavioral health technicians, offers classes to the 3,100 service members and contractors serving at Camp Ramadi. It also provides counseling and medical help for those suffering from anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and anger management, among other problems.
During their first week on base, the soldiers who run the clinic made contact with about 150 people who expressed an interest in their services. And the Washington National Guard brigade, which has its headquarters at Camp Ramadi, has been proactive, Edelman said.
"The leadership of the 81st Brigade has been with us the whole way," he said. "They came to us and said, 'We want you to talk to our soldiers. We want these programs in their lives.' "
The stigma of seeking help for mental issues is fading, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tara Smith, who works in the stress center. Commercials on military-run television and radio stations encourage service members to seek help.
High-ranking officers have recently gone public about their struggles with stress, perhaps none more high-profile than Gen. Carter Ham, a former Fort Lewis I Corps deputy commander who spoke about seeking counseling after witnessing the aftermath of a suicide bombing.
It was a big one, at a dining facility in Mosul in December 2004. The attack killed 22 people, including 14 American soldiers - six of them Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers serving under Ham's command in Task Force Olympia.
"If those guys can seek help and it doesn't affect their career, certainly a sergeant or specialist or staff sergeant can come in without it affecting their career," said Smith, who is usually stationed in Sicily. "The biggest issues to overcome are the gossip, the rumors, the other guys making fun of them."
After they return
The stateside care for the 81st Brigade begins even before a soldier returns to Camp Murray, south of Tacoma. After leaving Iraq, the unit will spend seven to 10 days at Fort McCoy, Wis., and brigade leadership says dealing with medical issues - mental and physical - is a top priority.
Each soldier will fill out a health questionnaire, and a doctor or a physician's assistant will conduct a sit-down interview with each of the brigade's 3,500 members.
Problems will be referred to a specialist; if the treatment for a serious injury requires a lengthy healing time, the soldier could be transferred into a long-term recovery unit such as the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Lewis.
TRICARE, the military's health insurance program, covers National Guard soldiers for 180 days after they demobilize. And any health problem reported at Fort McCoy should be covered for life by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The National Guard soldiers who need time to heal will be kept on active-duty orders, said Shevalier, who works back home as a physical education teacher at Northeast Tacoma Elementary School.
Another part of the demobilization process at Fort McCoy involves a series of briefings that will include tips on returning to everyday life. Many post-deployment stress issues begin at home, where things have changed since the soldier left for Iraq.
"Your wife has been doing everything without you while you've been gone," Shevalier said. "Don't expect her to just change back right away. She's made it work without you. And that can be really frustrating for a lot of people. You have to ease your way back in."
The brigade's first post-deployment drill weekend is in October, when soldiers and families will attend a large-scale welcome-home ceremony called the Freedom Salute. Experts will be on hand to continue briefing soldiers on reintegration into civilian life. The Guardsmen will be split into three categories: single, married and married with children.
"For married couples, it's kind of like couples' counseling," Shevalier said. "For single soldiers, it's about telling them that they don't really need to make up for all the lost time while they were gone. If you've got kids, you learn about how to deal with them.
"The briefings at McCoy are meant for the soldier, but the ones during the drill weekend are meant for the soldiers and their families."
The November drill weekend will bring another round of briefings, this time about TRICARE benefits. And the National Guard Bureau will send doctors and physician assistants to the December drill weekend to ask the same questions the soldiers answered in Wisconsin and to offer help with any new or lingering problems.
Treatment for mental issues ultimately is the responsibility of the individual; PTSD and stress don't appear on X-rays or in blood tests. And Shevalier remains optimistic that the returning soldiers who seek help will get it.
"It doesn't end when you put the uniform back in the closet," he said.
"You're not healed. You still have those issues to deal with. But there's a lot of support out there, and I really think most people will be OK."
York, a father of two, is OK and returned to the military after taking a break. He received the promotion he sought and a job at the National Guard Bureau handling logistics for units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
When he learned the 81st Brigade was returning to Iraq, he volunteered. He's serving as the brigade's plans officer.
"I saw them on the list and knew I had to go," he said. "Washington's my home state. I was ready to go again."
March 15, 2009
Pg. 1
By Scott Fontaine
RAMADI, Iraq -- Harry York set sail for the San Juan Islands and left behind the war, the stress, his career and all the unwanted attention.
The Auburn native was burned out after a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan, where he piloted CH-47 Chinook helicopters with the Washington National Guard.
Today, from his office in Camp Ramadi, Iraq, where he serves with the 81st Brigade Combat Team, Maj. York clearly recalls the tipping point.
On a mission with Special Forces soldiers just south of Kandahar on Dec. 5, 2005, he came under small-arms fire from Taliban fighters. One passenger was shot in the leg. Hydraulic fluid was spraying all over the cockpit. He safely landed out of harm's way just minutes before the damage would have destroyed the aircraft and killed everyone in it.
Other soldiers treated him like one of their own when he returned. The incident, though, gnawed at him. York didn't seek any attention; he figured he was just a pilot doing what he knew.
He returned to Washington in summer 2006 and rented a sailboat for what was supposed to be a weeklong trip. It lasted three months, and it convinced him to get out of the military.
"I remember the exact moment when I decided I was done," he said last week. "I was on the sailboat in the San Juans, anchored in this little cove, and I heard a splash. I saw a family of sea otters eating shellfish.
"It was absolutely peaceful. I said to myself, 'You know what? I'm not going back.' "
He e-mailed his resignation to his commanding officer. Only when his co-workers called York to tell him to turn in his equipment did he consider returning.
He decided he wanted a promotion to major and a job at the National Guard Bureau in suburban Washington, D.C.
"I wanted to be just another guy commuting from work, showing up at the office and heading home," he said. "I didn't want any of the attention."
Combat- and deployment-related stress takes a silent toll on many in the military - a problem that is impossible to quantify and can be difficult to treat. Some, like York, can return after a break. Others leave the armed services altogether.
But for a growing number, the stress is deadly. Suicide numbers in the Army continue to climb even as combat operations are winding down in Iraq.
At least 128 soldiers committed suicide last year, the highest rate in three decades. And the Army believes that up to 24 soldiers took their lives in January alone, eight more than the number of combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan during the same month.
The 81st Brigade returns from a yearlong mobilization this summer, and professionals in Iraq, Camp Murray and the Pentagon hope an array of programs and information sessions will help soldiers suffering from stress.
But the structure of the National Guard presents a particular problem: The change from civilian life to full-time soldier in a war zone can be a drastic shift, and because most Guardsmen train part-time, others in their unit often aren't around to witness subtle changes in behavior.
"The National Guard is doing the best they can, given the circumstances," said Maj. Kurt Shevalier of Lacey, the 81st's medical operations officer who's on his second Iraq tour with the brigade. "But one of the circumstances is that we don't have that day-to-day contact with the guys."
Time to think
As the war in Iraq changes, so do the issues mental health specialists treat.
"Boredom is a real problem," said Lt. Jeffrey Edelman, a psychologist assigned to Camp Ramadi. "Before, when there was constant combat, guys didn't have time to think about what was going on at home."
Marital problems, personal problems and frustration with leadership are the leading complaints among service members, said Edelman, a 43-year-old reservist from Arizona who helps run the Camp Ramadi combat stress and mental health clinic with an Army reserve unit based in Indianapolis.
The way service members communicate with their loved ones has evolved since the 2003 invasion. Internet cafes are routinely packed with soldiers and contractors talking on Skype, the Internet-based phone and video service. That can mean instant updates on what's happening back home - but an enhanced feeling of distance and helplessness when something goes wrong and the situation is out of the soldier's control.
The on-base clinic, staffed by a psychologist, a psychology nurse practitioner and three behavioral health technicians, offers classes to the 3,100 service members and contractors serving at Camp Ramadi. It also provides counseling and medical help for those suffering from anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and anger management, among other problems.
During their first week on base, the soldiers who run the clinic made contact with about 150 people who expressed an interest in their services. And the Washington National Guard brigade, which has its headquarters at Camp Ramadi, has been proactive, Edelman said.
"The leadership of the 81st Brigade has been with us the whole way," he said. "They came to us and said, 'We want you to talk to our soldiers. We want these programs in their lives.' "
The stigma of seeking help for mental issues is fading, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tara Smith, who works in the stress center. Commercials on military-run television and radio stations encourage service members to seek help.
High-ranking officers have recently gone public about their struggles with stress, perhaps none more high-profile than Gen. Carter Ham, a former Fort Lewis I Corps deputy commander who spoke about seeking counseling after witnessing the aftermath of a suicide bombing.
It was a big one, at a dining facility in Mosul in December 2004. The attack killed 22 people, including 14 American soldiers - six of them Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers serving under Ham's command in Task Force Olympia.
"If those guys can seek help and it doesn't affect their career, certainly a sergeant or specialist or staff sergeant can come in without it affecting their career," said Smith, who is usually stationed in Sicily. "The biggest issues to overcome are the gossip, the rumors, the other guys making fun of them."
After they return
The stateside care for the 81st Brigade begins even before a soldier returns to Camp Murray, south of Tacoma. After leaving Iraq, the unit will spend seven to 10 days at Fort McCoy, Wis., and brigade leadership says dealing with medical issues - mental and physical - is a top priority.
Each soldier will fill out a health questionnaire, and a doctor or a physician's assistant will conduct a sit-down interview with each of the brigade's 3,500 members.
Problems will be referred to a specialist; if the treatment for a serious injury requires a lengthy healing time, the soldier could be transferred into a long-term recovery unit such as the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Lewis.
TRICARE, the military's health insurance program, covers National Guard soldiers for 180 days after they demobilize. And any health problem reported at Fort McCoy should be covered for life by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The National Guard soldiers who need time to heal will be kept on active-duty orders, said Shevalier, who works back home as a physical education teacher at Northeast Tacoma Elementary School.
Another part of the demobilization process at Fort McCoy involves a series of briefings that will include tips on returning to everyday life. Many post-deployment stress issues begin at home, where things have changed since the soldier left for Iraq.
"Your wife has been doing everything without you while you've been gone," Shevalier said. "Don't expect her to just change back right away. She's made it work without you. And that can be really frustrating for a lot of people. You have to ease your way back in."
The brigade's first post-deployment drill weekend is in October, when soldiers and families will attend a large-scale welcome-home ceremony called the Freedom Salute. Experts will be on hand to continue briefing soldiers on reintegration into civilian life. The Guardsmen will be split into three categories: single, married and married with children.
"For married couples, it's kind of like couples' counseling," Shevalier said. "For single soldiers, it's about telling them that they don't really need to make up for all the lost time while they were gone. If you've got kids, you learn about how to deal with them.
"The briefings at McCoy are meant for the soldier, but the ones during the drill weekend are meant for the soldiers and their families."
The November drill weekend will bring another round of briefings, this time about TRICARE benefits. And the National Guard Bureau will send doctors and physician assistants to the December drill weekend to ask the same questions the soldiers answered in Wisconsin and to offer help with any new or lingering problems.
Treatment for mental issues ultimately is the responsibility of the individual; PTSD and stress don't appear on X-rays or in blood tests. And Shevalier remains optimistic that the returning soldiers who seek help will get it.
"It doesn't end when you put the uniform back in the closet," he said.
"You're not healed. You still have those issues to deal with. But there's a lot of support out there, and I really think most people will be OK."
York, a father of two, is OK and returned to the military after taking a break. He received the promotion he sought and a job at the National Guard Bureau handling logistics for units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
When he learned the 81st Brigade was returning to Iraq, he volunteered. He's serving as the brigade's plans officer.
"I saw them on the list and knew I had to go," he said. "Washington's my home state. I was ready to go again."