Yesterday when I blogged about the Marine being convicted of killing an Iraqi citizen, I also talked about the problems out troops are facing by being forced into these extended stays. To further that point, here is an article, published today, about a soldier being released from medical care earlier and sent back to Iraq:
A Fort Carson soldier who says he was in treatment at Cedar Springs Hospital for bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse was released early and ordered to deploy to the Middle East with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
The 28-year-old specialist spent 31 days in Kuwait and was returned to Fort Carson on Dec. 31 after health care professionals in Kuwait concurred that his symptoms met criteria for bipolar disorder and “some paranoia and possible homicidal tendencies,” according to e-mails obtained by a Denver newspaper.
This is a serious problem. Our military is hurting with man power, so they make idiotic decisions like this to get people back to fight. When innocent Iraqis get shot, you can’t blame just the soldiers, but must look seriously at the system. The soldiers aren’t getting the mental health they need, and when they do the military half asses it. With that, is there any wonder why we have soldiers killing the wrong people?