Combat is not a video game; it is real and it can be traumatic. Does the U

[mom cat]

Combat is not a video game; it is real and it can be traumatic. Does the US Army understand this?
By Gerald Rellick

When a police officer kills someone in the line of duty, he is put on temporary leave and given psychological counseling. The reason for this is simple psychology: killing another human being is emotionally difficult, even if it doesn’t feel that way at first, and even when it’s justified.

In the July 18th Los Angeles Times, staff writer Charles Duhigg explains that this emotional coping assistance is not available to our troops in combat, many of whom have to deal with gruesome deaths and the killing of innocent civilians. According to Duhigg, “The Army defends its approach, saying that if troops think too much about emotional issues in combat situations, it could undermine their effectiveness in battle.”

Said one soldier in Iraq: "I'm confused about how I should feel about killing. The first time I shot someone, it was the most exhilarating thing I'd ever felt. We talk about killing all the time. I never used to talk this way. I'm not proud of it, but it's like I can't stop. I'm worried what I will be like when I get home."

Indeed, after returning home is when the problems typically arise in the form of a variety of mental and emotional disorders. Army Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, who taught at West Point and who works with police officers and special operations troops, says that “the military could train soldiers to talk about killing as easily as they train them to pull the trigger. But commanders are in denial.” Grossman added, “This is complete negligence.”

http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=806