Update on the Shooting in Baghdad

After Mr. Lawler showed us the blog post in class yesterday about the solider that killed five of his comrades in Baghdad, I was able to find an article with an update of the latest information that has been released about the tragic event. On his third tour in Iraq, 44 year old Sgt. John M. Russell of the 54th Engineer Battalion, was charged with five counts of murder and one count aggravated assault at the Combat Stress Clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad. Two victims were staff at the clinic and the others were soldiers. Although his concerned commanders' referred him to counseling a week earlier and confiscated his weapon, Russel got into an argument with someone at Camp Liberty and grabbed another service member's weapon, returned to the clinic, and opened fire.

This shooting, although the most severe of kind, seems to be apart of a rising trend of disturbed soldiers. In a recent study it was found that "multiple lengthy deployments to war zones have led to a sharp rise recently in suicides and diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder." One in six returning soldiers from Iraq show signs of post traumatic stress disorder and other emotional issues and the suicide rate of soldiers is on the rise. This is a concerning finding. The style modern warfare is causing injury to soldiers to not only be physical but also mental. In an effort to reduce this statistics, military leaders have sought to educate service members about combat stress and its symptoms. However, as this tragic indecent proved, it has not been enough. What can the U.S. goveenment do to further educate and aide suffering soldiers? How can the combat stress facilities be restructured to be more effective? The latest deaths bring the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq during the six-year war to about 4,292. according the the Associated Press count.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051201127.html

Injured Soliders

Yesterday I went on an excursion to Artropolis at the Merchandise Mart (an exhibition of contemporary and modern art), and one of the many exhibits was about the war in Iraq. The activist/artist used powerful images to send a message to the viewers that the war in Iraq was unjust and should be stopped. The one that moved me the most was a simple portrait of a man injured in the Iraq war. Similar to Ron Kovic, the man in the picture was in a wheel chair, but he had both legs aputated below the hip and in their place had two mechanical legs. He was proudly wearing a U.S. Marines uniform adorned with many medals. Not only did this image remind me of the young Ron Kovic from the film, but it also made me relize how little I have heard in the news about the injured. All the time there are reports of how many have died, but rarely are there details of wellbeing of those that have been injured and the effect their injury has had on their quality of life.

I was able to find a similar image of the same man online. His name is Marine Staff Stg. John Jones, and he is 30 years old and from San Antonio, Texas. He was featured in a HBO film about injured soliders titled "HBO's Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq," which aired September 9, 2007. After about nine months of service in Iraq, Jones was sitting in the passenger side of a hummer that was hit by a double-stacked anti-tank mine in Iraq. In addition to being a double amputee, his other injuries from the accident include loss of hearing and memory, post tramautic stress disorder, and shrapnel in parts of thighs and wrists.

Although he now has a positive mental outlook on situation, many other soliders in a similar situation do not. Jones says that he "hopes to be a positive influence for others and set an example for those who have given up hope." In what mental and physical state is the war leaving soliders? How does this affect their quality of life?