Stress, Emotional Trauma and Anxiety
for Military Servicemen and Servicewomen


November 6, 2009 (Los Angeles, CA) — “We express deep grief for the families of those who died yesterday and for the wounded who still struggle,” said Jodie Evans, co-founder of CODEPINK, “and also for the families and soldiers who are still in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan.”  Wednesday's shootings by an active-duty serviceman at Fort Hood killed 13 and wounded 30 people.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright is a 29-year veteran and former U.S. diplomat.   “What happened at Fort Hood is probably a result of the accumulated stress of working with thousands of soldiers who have returned from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan as shattered humans who have participated in or exposed to the horrific carnage of war,“ said Wright. “"I am very concerned about the stress from deployments and for those who care for those who have deployed.“  Wright resigned in 2003 from the Bush administration and the U.S. diplomatic corps over opposition to the war in Iraq.

10 Fort Hood soldiers have reportedly commit suicide in 2009.  Fran Hanlon is board member of the Fort Hood Support Network, a non-profit organization that operates Under the Hood Café in Killeen. Under the Hood is an outreach center for active duty military personnel, veterans, family members, and friends, to support and console each other about daily struggles.  Today, there is plenty of grief to go around. 

“We hear from soldiers with PTSD who are not properly diagnosed and treated,” said Hanlon.  She continued, “President Obama was quoted as saying ‘We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident.'  The questions many here in Texas would ask are when will this nightmare end? And how will we properly care for the 'walking wounded' we have created?”

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