I can't say that I am amused by the continuing blather erupted by Dr Gen. Barry McCaffrey about PTSD and also drugs when he was interviewed by Mike Francis of the Oregonian 28 Sept. 2011. How much did Dr Gen. Barry McCaffrey cost Portland taxpayers anyway?
He proved when he was Drug Czar in the White House a few years ago that he didn't know anything factual about marijuana and drug abuse and he repeated showing his ignorance in this article. He further demonstrated his ignorance of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) there.
His comments about PTSD are completely off the wall and to attribute PTSD to pre-existing drug and alcohol abuse is absurd. Non-users get PTSD also.
I don't believe he was ever an enlisted soldier but the U.S. Army trains its recruits to be alcoholics and drugs users. Friday or Saturday nights produce dozens if not hundreds of young soldiers drunk on the private's tranquilizer alcohol. If that doesn't work, they can get Army issued drugs producing the same effects.
His comments about PTSD 'phonies' is about as absurd and cruel as it gets. Sixteen weeks of infantry training will produce a measure of PTSD in almost every recruit. Advanced Infantry Training will increase the level of PTSD. Infantry combat adds to it. Witness the reports of PTSD suicides of active Infantry in the Middle east or at home.
He quotes Dr Sally Satell, a psychiatrist in the Army. She has been so discredited by anybody and everybody who knows anything about PTSD that few believes anything she says except U.S. government insiders who are equally ignorant.
He quotes a doctor at Walter Reed Hospital who seems to agree with Dr Satell and is out in left field with her. Army recruits are mostly too young, 18 or 19, to have developed an alcohol or drug problem. All of these should know that in WAR, some generals and upper level officers get PTSD.
Dr Gen. McCaffrey was correct about one item. He as the Drug Czar knows that the Mexican cartel's influence is all over the U.S. as Drug Czar he wasn't able to do anything about it, how come?
He says that "Nobody wants to legalize drugs". 99% of drugs are legal and they kill about 100,000 persons per year which is far more than all illegal drugs combined.
Actually, the Oregonian newspaper had a similar Op-Ed article the next day by Steven Earl who was a medic in Vietnam, which was/is one of the most dangerous and lethal jobs in the Army.
If any solder/medic got PTSD, they earned it. One of his medic friends received a Distinguished Service Cross which is just under the Congressional Medal of Honor. If he had carried a rifle instead of a medical kit, he would have received the Medal of Honor. All four of his medic friends ended up with PTSD. This totally rebukes the tomfoolery of Dr Gen. McCaffrey.
Steven Earl reports that many of the Middle east war veterans are "crashing with PTSD in increasing numbers". There are so many that even Dr Gen. McCaffrey can no longer, with any believability, sweep them under the "alcohol and drug abuse" rug.
Steven Earl has done a great service for all of us whether we are veterans or still in uniform.
The next day the Oregonian published a story about an Oregon resident with a U.S. government medical marijuana permit, Elvy Musika. On that note, an increasing number of veterans are speaking out
THANK YOU OREGONIAN FOR JOINING THE MARIJUANA MOVEMENT
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More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole". Order the book by mail by following this link: DOGFACE SOLDIER OF WWII If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.
1 October, 2011
Salem-News.com
Courtesy: alexconstantine.blogspot.com
Very informative blog, and I wanted to thank you personally.
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