Despite Army efforts, no catch-all test for troubled soldiers
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Army does not screen every soldier for mental and behavioral health, and even if it did, it is impossible to say if any of the current efforts would have flagged suspected gunman Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and averted the tragedy at Fort Hood.
After eight years of war and millions of dollars spent, the Defense Department and Veterans Health Administration have built the most robust safety net of mental health initiatives the force has ever seen. But it is not enough to screen half a million soldiers. It was not enough to stop Hasan.
Instead, what has emerged are piecemeal studies and initiatives, questionnaires and outreach messages, many of which are focused more on screening incoming recruits rather than midcareer soldiers, and those coming and going from deployments rather than soldiers such as Hasan, who have never been downrange.
Some of these programs are designed to educate tens of thousands of servicemembers on the warning signs of stress, whether from combat, multiple deployments, relationship strains or financial problems — factors that for some can lead to suicide or violent outbursts, but for others are simply the trials of military life.
From the time soldiers clear initial recruiting health screens to the time before deploying, it remains largely up to individuals to seek help when and if they want it.
Short of a command referral, there is nothing that compels every soldier to face a mental health screening.
If you know you have someone who is trying to contact a terrorist organization and do nothing about it, you have a problem.
Evidence of a terrorist link to the Fort Hood massacre mounted yesterday with reports that US intelligence officials knew for months before the shooting that Major Nidal Malik Hasan had been trying to contact figures associated with al-Qaeda. "http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6910273.ece
stop trying to make this into some kind of "he was a poor disturbed person" thing. it is not. he was a damn terrorist and thats the bottom line. allah akbar to you too.
Originally posted by backtoiraq: stop trying to make this into some kind of "he was a poor disturbed person" thing. it is not. he was a damn terrorist and thats the bottom line. allah akbar to you too.
Seems to me he is a disturbed person to be able to do what he did. But No excuses. Fry his azz and others like him.
