GI Slaying Suspects Faced Heavy Combat
July 15, 2009
Associated Press
FORT CARSON, Colorado – Soldiers from a Colorado unit accused in nearly a dozen slayings since returning home – including a couple gunned down as they put up a garage sale sign – could be showing a hostility fueled by intense combat in Iraq, the military said Wednesday.
The Army launched an investigation after soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division – nicknamed the Lethal Warriors – were accused in a spate of five killings around Colorado Springs, home to Fort Carson, in 2007 and 2008.
Six other slayings involving unit soldiers occurred in Colorado and other states since 2005.
The report called for more study on the links between combat and aggressive behavior. It suggested the Army find a way to identify soldiers who have been exposed to fierce combat.
Rise Seen in Veterans’ Mental Health Diagnoses
Published: NYTimes, July 16, 2009
A new study has found that more than one-third of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who enrolled in the veterans health system after 2001 received a diagnosis of a mental health problem, most often post-traumatic stress syndrome or depression.