"Mental Health Care: Convincing Veterans They Need It"
-- by Steven Butler


[Writing as Activism]--Conference on Writing and Social Justice
Wolran Kim (Apr 2011)



Butler was a former Marine who participated twice in the battle of Iraq. He accused suffering and pain of most of veterans as aftermath of mission. The training for war never ended even after returning from war. No, not just remaining, many people are falling in a gap between normal social life and the war regime. The proportion of veterans homeless was 26%, and the mental illness is increasing every year. According to one U.S. government report, the children of the veterans who participated in the1st Gulf War of 1991 have much higher possibility to hold congenital defects than their parents who did not fight.

Butler reflected on the past that most of his training was all about killing enemies as a soldier. He had to concentrate and practice every day and night only how well he can kill the enemy without any hesitation. Yes! The purpose of the war is victory. There are always tacit consented murders and crimes behind winning. He recalled that he had to be born again as a soldier during the training. How can they be capable to murder as ordinary members of society? In addition, any planning for the future never been allowed as a soldier at the time. However, there were only today's fighting for the victory. He had to shout and remember a word, "KILL" 5,000 times every day.

They are usually between 18-22 years old, most sensitive age, and how can they live just like normal people in the land of peace after undergoing such training? Their suffering leads to domestic violence, drugs, alcohol, social maladjustment, lack of anger management, depression, and suicide, and it would be natural consequences. We might not even know the pain of a person who practiced about only killing, but now have to try only to live. According to Butler, there are much more serious problems which had been ignored and unknown emotional harm as socially even except issues of GI Bill and assistance programs.

Thomas Insel, director of the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) criticized that war veterans commit suicide from complications due to poor mental health care system at the annual meeting of APA (American Psychiatric Association). According to Washington Think Tank Land Corporation, 20% of veterans have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), but only 53% of them are receiving the right treatment. The Pentagon has reported that 1.6 million soldiers have served since 2001 in Iraq-Afghan War, and 4,560 people were killed in action. Director Insel pointed out that the number of suicide or deaths of mental illness beyond the number of the war dead consider to suicide of the PTSD symptoms of the patients.

The U.S. has occupation army institution rather than conscription. Some people might say that the responsibility for choosing this as a job would be their own. But if they were not there, who defends this country at the first line? Social responsibility of veterans' mental treatment must be prioritizing even more than material supports.