Where to go?

By: Dr.Asmat Hayat ALVI.

American Armed Forces confront another War-Fair; not in Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan but at home. Military psychiatrics call it post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Americans are at lose after wasting nine years, trillions of dollars of public money and more than ten thousand American lives. While visiting Columbia University in April this year; Adm. Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff admitted that post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is harming veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

“One in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has some form of post-traumatic stress disorder or severe depression, according to a 2008 Rand Corp. study.”

Adm. Mike Mullen admitted that many solders believe PTSD is career-ender. Most of veterans don’t ask for help while they face depression, sleeplessness and hallucination. “It’s a hard one to raise your hand for” Mullen said. “The longer it takes you to raise your hand, the more sever the consequences” Mullen told.

A person who is a patient of PTSD is more harmful for his family than any stranger. PTSD patients beat their family members even their parents; if married abuse their wives and children physically & sexually on regular basis and torture them brutally; sometimes kill them.

In Afghanistan Mujahidin changed their tact’s of war from last year. American and NATO Forces are facing more frequent attacks from Mujahedeen since September 2009. Mujahedeen are fighting more fiercely and bravely. It brings very sharp rise in causalities and injuries after the spring 2010. Moral of Americans and NATO forces is on decline; most solders are shaken and frightened of Mujahedeen.

July was the bloodiest month for Americans and foreign troops in Afghanistan since war begins. They transported sixty-six body-bags and more than five hundred severely injured personals. Actual figure is not known to the public; as many mercenaries, legions and private armies are engaged in Afghanistan against Mujahedeen. Their injured and dead persons are unaccounted until today. Previously one out of five veterans retuning from Afghanistan was victim of PTSD; now ratio is much higher than past.

Most injured lost their important limbs and body parts. Their wounds will be healed in a matter of time but a traumatic veteran or PTSD person will take years to become a normal person. If untreated and uncured he is a permanent threat to whole of America just like Army veteran Timothy McVeigh; who fought in Iraq during Gulf War. He was a patient of depression and trauma. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh took a truck full of explosives and bombed outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people in Oklahoma City.

That’s why; many Americans who are living in neighborhood of some PTSD traumatized or shaken veteran are afraid and scared of them. They are worried about the safety of their family members.   Sometimes they sit alone and ask themselves “Where to go?”

Aug, 18, 2010.