Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance
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Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance
Please click here and read the full report (PDF): Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance.
A new, in-depth investigative report released by Veterans for America, documents the toll of repeated, lengthy, and unpredictable deployments on Soldiers stationed at Fort Drum, New York, raising powerful questions about the sustainability of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Over the past decade, Fort Drum’s 10th Mountain Division has been one of the Army’s most heavily deployed divisions. Since September 11, 2001, Fort Drum’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) is the most deployed brigade in the Army – with more than 40 months logged away from home in that time.
VFA’s new report highlights the lack of treatment available to combat Soldiers and presents potential solutions to what the Pentagon acknowledges is a “daunting and growing” problem.
“Sooner or later, and likely sooner, we’re going to hit the wall and something will have to change,” said Bobby Muller, VFA’s founder. “Simple morality and decency demand a change. We cannot continue taking such gross advantage of those who have offered themselves in service to our country.”
On their latest Iraq tour, members of the 2nd BCT were more than five times more likely to have been killed than others who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and more than four times as likely to have been wounded. In all, the 2nd BCT has been deployed four times. Pentagon studies have found that a Soldier’s chance of developing mental health problems increases 60 percent upon each deployment.
“Soldiers at Fort Drum have been repeatedly exposed to high intensity combat. Mental health resources must match this level of sacrifice,” said Jason W. Forrester, one of the report authors.
Multiple Soldiers at Fort Drum informed VFA of low morale on base and rising DUI and AWOL rates. Even when Soldiers had the courage to seek mental health treatment, they often waited as long as two months for appointments with on-base mental health professionals.
As discussed in the previous Veterans for America report – Trends in Treatment of America’s Wounded Warriors – VFA has visited every major military facility in and out of the United States. Our work has revealed a military mental health system that is under severe stress. VFA’s work at Fort Drum, unfortunately, confirms this.
Read today’s New York Times Article featuring our report and efforts: Report Faults Mental Care For Iraq Veterans.
Veterans For America Releases Major Report: Trends In Treatment Of America’s Wounded Warriors.
Veterans for America is proud to release a ground-breaking report on the challenges facing our wounded warriors who are suffering from the “signature wounds” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological trauma.Having visited every single demobilization site in the United States and overseas, Veterans For America investigators found that care for these injuries is significantly lacking and that the decisions made by the military will negatively impact our veterans for the rest of their lives.
According to retired Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis, former Commanding General of the Southeast Regional Army Medical Command: “VFA’s report contains all the right information. It demonstrates the enormous needs of and responsibilities to our wounded servicemembers and their families. That need far exceeds our current capability. VFA provides much-needed, first-hand information on the scope of the problems and the steps needed to address them.”
To read more or to download the report, please click here.
We are very interested on learning more directly from servicemembers, veterans, and their families. If you, or someone you know, is an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran suffering from TBI or a psychological wound, please fill out our registry here so that we may help you.
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