War Without End

Rep. Jim McDermott, (D) Washington
House of Representatives - July 8, 2004

Madam Speaker, another four soldiers died today in Iraq. Families mourn the loss of loved ones. Our Nation mourns the loss of brave soldiers. Over 900 Americans have died in Iraq so far. As many as 10 times that number have been injured. Americans spent $150 billion, and we know tens of billions dollars more will be spent this year. If only one soldier had died, the number would be too high, but the casualties and the grief are much worse.

The truth is we have not even begun to see the casualties of the Iraq war. The truth is that thousands of soldiers will face a lifetime of injury from the war. The truth is we will have not even begun to count the casualties that will come from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The magnitude of the coming casualties among returning U.S. soldiers is staggering. The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in its most recent issue, which I will enter into the RECORD, gives a glimpse into the coming medical crisis facing our soldiers, families, and the Nation. The journal is known for credibility, thoughtful and factual reporting and analysis. The journal conservatively estimates that one in five soldiers will be afflicted with PTSD. In many cases, the symptoms will not even surface for a year or more. The casualties from the President's war of choice will affect tens of thousands of soldiers. There are 160,000 soldiers in Iraq today. Using the journal's conservative estimate, 30,000 U.S. soldiers will become post-traumatic stress disorder casualties in this war. Most do not even know that they are sick yet. Most do not exhibit any symptoms outwardly and will not for months or years. Tragically, when symptoms do appear, many soldiers will not ask for help.

Call it the tough-guy stigma. Soldiers are trained to be fearless no matter what the danger. Too many consider it a sign of weakness to need help. They will try to suffer in silence, but PTSD is as powerful as an artillery shell. Without help, PTSD can tear too many brave military men and women to shreds psychologically. I know. I was a Navy doctor and psychiatrist who treated soldiers returning from Vietnam with the post-traumatic stress disorder. Gut-wrenching is the only polite way to describe the anguish and suffering these soldiers experienced. Many of them still struggle against the demons of this disease.

As a doctor, you can do everything you can to help. All too often it is not enough, and all too often the only thing you can do is comfort the afflicted. You realize just how inadequate modern medicine is.

Some wonder why I strongly oppose the President's war of choice. Because I have seen the casualties. I have seen the pain inside the mind that no bandage can cover. I have treated the wounded, only to know in the dead of night just how little I and every doctor could do. We wanted to end the suffering. Who would not? We wanted to heal their wounds. Who would not?

Years later, long after the Vietnam War, years later after the media moved on to other issues, PTSD was still there haunting soldiers' minds. I saw it when I was a doctor working and treating prisoners in the King County jail. They include former soldiers who got into trouble because they struggled keeping their emotions under control. They struggled with PTSD. People who had served their country with no prior history of mental illness suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Were they felons or fallen heroes in need of help? I know what I think.

PTSD preys on the peace and happiness every American deserves, especially those who were drafted to fight in a war which this country came to loathe. After Vietnam, soldiers did not even have the thanks of a grateful Nation. We blamed them for the government's arrogance. It took decades before the wounds of the Nation began to heal. Thousands of names on a wall made us realize how much we had lost, how little we had gained, and how wrong it all was.

At least today America honors our soldiers, even as the opposition to the President's war grows. And it should. We are just beginning to realize the consequences of the President's war of choice. America has about 10,000 soldiers already dead or wounded. We face another 30,000 casualties. The wounds have already been inflicted. They are just not visible yet.

And they wonder why I strongly oppose the President's war of choice. The administration keeps inventing new reasons why we had to invade Iraq. They cannot even explain why 10,000 have already suffered or why 30,000 more will.

This is not about my opposition to the war, though. This is about preparing to help the men and women coming home from war. This is about honoring our soldiers by facing the truth about the coming wave of casualties here at home from PTSD. This is about a call to action in every city and town across America and in every home and every workplace. We must help them.

This is about a call to action in every city and town across America, in every home, in every workplace, PTSD is as real, as painful, as devastating as any shrapnel wound. If the effects could be seen like a bullet wound, we'd race the patient to the hospital for immediate care.

But PTSD doesn't work that way. It's silent. It's almost invisible. It's a war raging inside a person and we have to help. We can help by debunking the tough guy stigma. We can help by talking, listening and watching for signs of stress as our loved ones come home. We must help by demanding that the Veteran's Administration receives the funding to treat our returning soldiers. It's not a one-year supplement.

It is the recognition of the long-term consequences of the Iraq War. It is the commitment to treat our soldiers afflicted with PTSD with the best possible care for as long as necessary--and it will be years for many.

Every night the evening news graphically shows us the latest casualties and consequences of this war. It's awful. It didn't have to happen. And the overwhelming number of casualties are ahead of us, not mission accomplished. Before it is over, Iraq's casualties will top 40,000 U.S. soldiers. For what? Nothing at all.