The Second Army's Scars

Hope all of you in the States had a nice 4th. It was strangely sunny in Seattle--it usually isn't on the 4th.

Inevitably, we all had better days than did many civilians who've been over in Iraq--working alongside regular Army and National Guardsmen and doing many of the same jobs (an interesting tale in itself from what I hear). They are also washing up with a host of mental health problems upon their return to the States. Unlike other vets, they don't have an inadequate military/VA mental health system to turn to for help. Instead, they have to poke around for themselves in the inadequate private sector, where most mental health workers don't have any expertise in treating combat-related problems. Fabulous.

The New York Times has a fine, discouraging article on the phenomenon.