GET EDUCATED NOW, PTSD KILLS and HURTS the LOVED ONES LEFT BEHIND!

American Contractors, like the soldiers are coming home from IRAQ suffering with PTSD.  
Most Contractors have a military background, many are vets.  Most don't even know they
have it! Learning about PTSD is NOT A CRIME, but it will save a life!  Many American
Contractors who are injured are sent home, without a job, unable to work, and NO
INSURANCE, leaving them unable to afford COBRA!  They have NO Where To TURN...
HELP US SAVE A LIFE TODAY!
These contractors don't have years in a court room, they need our help NOW!

If you want to keep something from the  PUBLIC, don't make it a STATISTIC.  
Numbers are made up of STATISTIC, American Contractors are not counted.  They are not a
statistic!  IN ORDER FOR US TO LEARN THE TRUTH the DOD will have to release the
number of claims filed.  Haven't you wondered why they won't?  
Don't take my word, write to the DOD and ask for the number of death for Contractors under
the  "Freedom of Information ACT"
YOU TELL ME?
American Contractors are not alone in
this WAR with PTSD.  About 40 Marines a
month are affected by it.  Marine Corps
statistics, though incomplete, show PTSD
cases doubled from about 250 in 2003 to
596 in 2004, and then doubled again to
1,229 in 2005.

Today statistics show that 120 vets per
week commit suicide.
Watch Here







Current Issues in Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act Extension Claims: Unique Illness and Injuries
Arising from the Work of U.S. Civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan


Gary B. Pitts



Gary B. Pitts
Pitts & Associates
8866 Gulf Freeway, Suite 117
Houston, Texas 77017
defensebasecomp@aol.com
713-910-0555
713-910-0594 (fax)

It is an honor to be involved in any level of the judicial administration of compensation benefits for our civilian contractors working in the Iraq
and Afghanistan theaters of war. They are working alongside our military troops, putting their lives on the line for us every day. They are
arguably at more risk than our military troops. They work in the midst of a guerrilla war that does not really have safe support areas behind
clear front lines, and the majority of our civilian contractors are not allowed to be armed to defend themselves. Their numbers make up an
unprecedented high proportion of our war effort. The breakdown of the estimates is as follows (1):

40-50,000 support/logistics contractors

These are employees of KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary, which has the military’s logistical support contract. They work as drivers, cooks,
carpenters, mechanics, etc. A large percent are American. The rest are from Third World countries.

20,000 non-Iraqi security contractors

Of these, 5-6000 are American, British, South African, Russian or European; another 12,000 are from Third World countries such as India,
Sri Lanka and Columbia.

15,000 Iraqi security contractors

Most were hired by the British security firm Erinys to guard Iraq’s oil infrastructure.

40-70,000 reconstruction contractors

Some are Iraqis, but most are from the U.S. and dozens of other countries. They are employed by companies such as KBR, Bechtel,
General Electric, Fluor, Parsons and Perini.

There is a current combined total of about 140-155,000 American military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan (2). There are thus about as
many civilian contractors as there are soldiers in our war effort. Of the total of 115-155,000 contactors, approximately 25-30,000 are
Americans (3). Only those contractors whose employers are working under a contract or subcontract with the U.S. government are covered
by the Defense Base Act, but this would be the large majority of contractors.

In World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War, our Army did its own truck driving , cooking and most other basic support
functions with soldiers. It is historically new to fill almost all of these functions with civilian contractors. The argument for setting it up this
way was to save money and free up trained soldiers for fighting. The idea was that civilian contractors are more expensive per month than
soldiers, but we will only need them on a temporary emergency basis. The thought was that we would not have to pay for as many standing
military units during peacetime by planning to outsource almost all of the support functions if war comes. It was assumed, as is the usual
historical pitfall, that future wars are predictable and would be short. This plan was certainly not based on the vision of a long guerrilla war
with no clear front lines. Thus we are making do with a square peg in a round hole. Our military is much smaller than it was during the
1991 Gulf War and the Cold War. We could not carry on the current war without the participation of our civilian contractors, period. The only
way to replace them would be to bring back the draft, or make a significantly larger voluntary military, and that mobilization would take a
while. In the meantime, in the war against Islamic fascism, the virtual army of American civilian contractors is helping keep the casualties
from occurring in the U.S. We should thus take special care in taking care of these people who are taking care of us.
The Defense Base Act, which was formed during World War II, provides the compensation for these men and women if they are injured or
made ill during their service, and for their families if they die as a result of their service. The coverage of the Defense Base Act is much
broader than the usual “in the course and scope of employment” standard that we use in the Longshore and Harbor Workers’
Compensation Act. The Defense Base Act covers everything that comes from the “zone of special danger.” From “wheels up” in the U.S.
until “wheels down” back in the U.S. they are covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as long as the “obligations or conditions of
employment create the zone of special danger from which the injury arose” (4) The only cases that demonstrate the exceptions have been
extreme occurrences like the case of the man that hung himself as a weird form of autoerotism and died, or benefits being denied to a
woman who plotted her husband’s death overseas (5).

The usual industrial accidents that we are all familiar with working with, that occur to longshore and harbor workers in the U.S., can, of
course, equally happen in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of my clients said that he was really embarrassed that while he was stationed at
Fallujah, during the worst of the fighting there after the bodies of four American civilian contractors had being burned and hung for display
from the bridge there (6), he got hurt and was evacuated out of the theater because he slipped and fell and hit himself on the side of an
office desk there.

In addition to the usual industrial accidents, there are injuries and illnesses coming from the war zones that are different than what you
normally see here in the U.S.:

1. Physical injuries from direct enemy action
2. Physical injuries indirectly from enemy action
3. Post-traumatic stress disorder
4. Injuries from the Iraqi and Afghani work environment, not related to enemy action
5. Illnesses endemic to the region
6. Toxic exposures
7. Footnotes


1. PHYSICAL INJURIES FROM DIRECT ENEMY ACTION

A. IN GENERAL

It is not known exactly how many American or other civilian contractors have died in the war. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that at
least 136 Titan Corp. employees and subcontractors have been killed (7). KBR reported to PBS that 65 of its employees have been killed
(8). By November 2005, the U.S. Dept. of Labor had 428 civilian contractor deaths, and 3,963 other casualties, reported to it, according to
the Knight-Ridder News Service (8). Both KBR and L3 Communications reported to PBS that their casualty figures were higher than those
so far reported to the Dept. of Labor for their companies (8). It thus appears to be fair to say that about 550 American civilian contractors
have been killed in the war to date.

American civilian contractors wear body armor (Kevlar vests) the same as our soldiers do. Improved body armor has resulted in much
fewer fatal injuries in comparison to previous wars (9). In World War II, the ratio of combat deaths to those wounded in combat was
approximately 1 to 2.3. In the Korean War, it was approximately 1 to 3.1. In the Vietnam War, it was approximately 1 to 3.2 (10). As of March
3, 2006, the ratio of combat deaths to those wounded in combat in Iraq is approximately 1 to 9.4 (11). Unprotected areas of the body are
where almost all of the injuries are occurring, i.e.: the head , neck, arms, legs , lower torso and sides (12).

B. IEDS

As of the end of February, 2006, 31.5 % of the combat deaths in Iraq have been from IEDs (improvised Explosive Devices) (13).
There is an incomplete list of 136 American civilians killed in Iraq, by name, occupation and date of death (14). It is instructive on how
civilian contractors are being killed there. Of these 136 named deceased, 41 died from IEDs, improvised explosive devices, including non-
suicide car bombs. This is the most frequent cause of death.

Also as evidence of IEDs as the primary casualty producers is that during a 9-month period in 2004, the 31st Combat Support Hospital in
Iraq treated 207 severe eye injuries, including 41 eye excisions. Blast fragmentation (shrapnel) caused 82% of those injuries. The most
common single cause was IEDs, which caused 51% of all of the injuries. It has been suggested by doctors that polycarbonate ballistic
eyewear could prevent many of these injuries, by the way (15).


C. GUNSHOTS

The second most frequent cause of death for civilian contractors in Iraq is enemy small arms fire, gunshot wounds. Of the 136 named
American contractor deaths, 34 died from these (12). I know that the list of 136 is incomplete because I represent the widow of a man that
was killed by an enemy gunshot to the abdomen, and he is not on the list.

D. MORTAR, ROCKET, MISSILE OR LAND MINE EXPLOSIONS

Of the incomplete list of 136 named American contractor deaths, 14 were killed by blast or shrapnel from mortar, rocket, missile or land
mine explosions (14).

E. SUICIDE BOMBERS

Suicide bombers are of two types, walk-in , or driving a vehicle. Of the incomplete list of 136 named American contractor deaths, 8 were
from walk-in bombers, and 4 were from bombers driving vehicles (14).

F. KIDNAPPING AND EXECUTION

From the list of 136 named American contractor deaths, five were executed by the enemy (14). Four of the five were beheaded on
videotape, broadcast on some Arab T.V. stations for terrorist effect (16).
2. PHYSICAL INJURIES INDIRECTLY FROM ENEMY ACTION
Because of the constant threat of sniper fire and IED roadside bombs, civilian contractors drive very fast when they have to drive anywhere
off of a military base in Iraq. This has led to frequent and more severe vehicle accidents as an indirect result of enemy actions. As an
example, I am representing a little lady who left her job as a kindergarten teacher in the U.S. to go to Iraq and support our troops by working
on their laundry. A few weeks after she got to Baghdad, she was a passenger in a car that was going 100 mph on what would normally be
a 50 mph road in peacetime, because they were afraid of being shot or blown up. The driver encountered a package in the road. He
swerved to avoid it, as he had been taught to do, because it could be a bomb. Because of the vehicle’s speed , when it suddenly swerved,
it flipped several times, and my client is now paralyzed from the chest down. Of the list of 136 named American contractor deaths, 12 were
from vehicle accidents (14).
As a result of the threat of enemy gunfire or explosive shrapnel, contractors have to constantly wear Kevlar body armor vests, which weigh
30-40 lbs., and also steel or Kevlar helmets when they are outside of a base. Though less catastrophic than vehicle accidents, this
additional weight burden has caused or aggravated back injuries in some contractors and contributed to the risks of dehydration and heat
stroke in others.

3. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

The psychiatric case definition for post-traumatic stress disorder ( “PTSD”)is attached as an appendix to this paper. U.S. Army research
shows that about 16% of troops coming out of Iraq and 11% of those coming out of Afghanistan are having mental health problems, the
most prominent being PTSD. The research shows a PTSD rate of 4% among those not exposed to a firefight and 20% for those who
endured five or more combat episodes (17). The Army Surgeon General reported last October that among 1000 Army soldiers surveyed
three to four months after returning from Iraq, about 30% had developed stress-related mental health problems. PTSD sometimes
manifests itself only months, sometimes even years, after the traumatic event. Called “delayed onset” PTSD, this sleeper version of the
disorder makes accurate diagnoses when leaving the war zone a serious challenge to mental health providers. It will also be a challenge
to the U.S. Dept. of Labor judicial system. The carriers will profit by the fact that people suffering with PTSD often refuse to disclose the
disturbing symptoms common of PTSD, either due to distrust of the mental health establishment or because they are embarrassed to
seek help. The largest Army research study was just published at the end of Feb 2006. It reports that mental health screening showed that
21,620 of 222,620, about 1 out of 10, coming out of Iraq are diagnosed with PTSD (18).

When they leave the war zone, members of our military are briefed about what PTSD symptoms look like, and they are encouraged to seek
help if they have them. The military also checks back up on all soldiers about three or four months after leaving the theater of war, in order
to see how they are doing concerning PTSD. This support structure is largely a result of lessons learned from the Vietnam War, and is a
military force protection measure. Those with symptoms can be seen in the military health care system, or by the Veterans Administration
system, both of which have a lot of experience with PTSD.

Civilian contractors coming from the war zone have none of this support structure. They should. They are now being left to their own
devices, for the most part. Usually they have to litigate their Defense Base Act claim in order to get any psychological care. For example,
there was a Formal Hearing for one of my clients last month, where the man barely survived the suicide bombing in the mess hall in
Mosul, Iraq on December 21, 2004 (19). He was burned by the blast fireball, hit by shrapnel in multiple places, and covered by bits of
human flesh from the explosion. Friends seated on either side of him died. Since the, he has had the classic symptoms of hypervigilance,
startle response, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, and social withdrawal, but he is having to wait for a judicial opinion before the carrier
will pay for one session of psychotically assistance for a devastating attack that occurred almost a year and a half ago. There is currently
not really much of a financial incentive for a carrier not to unreasonably deny benefits. There is currently no effective judicial penalty for a
frivolous defense. It is something that could well be reformed, in order to make the system work better for everyone concerned.


4. INJURIES FROM THE IRAQI AND AFGHANI WORK ENVIRONMENT, NOT RELATED TO ENEMY ACTION

This category includes dehydration, heat stroke, scorpion and snake bites, and eye and respiratory irritation from sandstorms (20). The
average high for July temperature in Kandahar, Afghanistan is 104 degrees; and for Baghdad, Iraq the average in July is 110 degrees (21).
The stifling heat is aggravated by the necessity of wearing body armor and a helmet. For the few contractors that get to work in air-
conditioning, electricity is usually undependable. Where there is no air-conditioning or electricity to run it, working indoors can be even
more sweltering.

5. ILLNESSES ENDEMIC TO THE REGION

A. IRAQ

The U.S. Department of Defense currently publishes the following
Iraqi diseases to be of potential significance (22):

Short Incubation

_ Diarrheal Diseases
_ Sandfly Fever
_ Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers
_ Malaria
_ Arboviral Diseases Other than Sandfly Fever
Long Incubation
_ Enterically Transmitted Viral Hepatitis A and E
_ Iraq Bloodborne Viral Hepatitis B, D, and C
_ Leishmaniasis [522 cases of confirmed custaneous leishmaniasis were identified in military personnel deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan
between Aug. 2002 and Feb. 2004 (23).]
_ Schistosomiasis
Other Diseases of Potential Military Significance
_ Animal-Associated Diseases
_
Anthrax
_ Brucellosis
_ Echinococcosis
_ Leptospirosis
_ Q Fever
_ Rabies
_
Sexually Transmitted and/or Bloodborne Diseases
_
HIV/AIDS
_ Syphilis
_
Vector-Borne Diseases
_
Plague
_ Relapsing Fever
_ Typhus
_
Other Infectious Diseases
_
Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis
_ Cholera
_ Intestinal Helminthic Infections
_ Tuberculosis
Recent medical literature has also identified acute eosinophilic pneumonia and Acinetobacter baumanii as diseases that are appearing
among American deployed to Southwest Asia (22). Life expectancy in Iraq has fallen to below 60 and infectious diseases have increased
as the public health service has deteriorated since 1990 (25).
B. AFGHANISTAN
The U.S. Department of Defense currently publishes the following Afghani diseases as being of potential significance(26):
Infectious Diseases - Short Incubation
Diarrheal Diseases
Malaria
Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers
Sandfly Fever
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
West Nile Fever
Meningococcal Meningitis
Scrub Typhus
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
Infectious Diseases - Long Incubation
Enterically Transmitted Viral Hepatitis A and E
Bloodborne Viral Hepatitis B, D, and C
Leishmaniasis
Other Diseases of Potential Military Significance
Animal-Associated Diseases
_ Anthrax
_ Brucellosis
_ Echinococcosis
_ Leptospirosis
_ Q Fever
_ Rabies
_ Sexually Transmitted and/or Bloodborne Diseases
_ HIV/AIDS
_ Syphilis
Vector-Borne Diseases
_ Plague
_ Relapsing Fever, Tick-Borne
_ Siberian Tick Typhus
_ Typhus, Flea-Borne (Murine)
_ Typhus, Louse-Borne
Other Infectious Diseases
_ Cholera
_ Intestinal Helminthic Infections
_ Trachoma
_ Tuberculosis

The difference between the public health environment in the U.S. and Afghanistan is about as sharp a difference as between a camel and
a car. Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. is 78 years. In Afghanistan, it is only 43 years. The infant mortality rate in the U.S. is 6.5 deaths per
1,000 live births. In Afghanistan, it is more than 25 times worse. Here are 163.1 deaths per 1,000 live births there. The CIA World Factbook
lists the degree of risk of major infectious diseases in Afghanistan as “high” (27).

6. TOXIC EXPOSURES
There has not been a Gulf War Syndrome II. There was fear that there would be (28). Everything in the environment is essentially the same
between the two wars, Americans exposed to the same heat, endemic diseases, sand-flies, depleted uranium use, diesel fumes, multiple
vaccinations, stressful circumstances, and even oil fire smoke for a while. In what is about as close to a controlled experiment as can be
done on a massive scale, there has been only one major difference between the Gulf War and the Iraq War, and it is the consensus
reason for Gulf War Syndrome having occurred. Our troops in the Gulf War, and the few contractors that were with them then, were
repeatedly exposed to chemical warfare agent fallout, in particular, Sarin nerve gas and mustard gas, from the detonations of Saddam‘s
extensive chemical warfare stockpile from aerial bombardment and at Khamisiyah (29). In contrast, our troops and contractors have not
been exposed to chemical warfare agents in this war, thank God.

The Centers for Disease Control gave Gulf War Syndrome a case definition in 1998 (30). It is a multi-symptom neurological disorder. The
13 categories of symptoms associated with Gulf War Syndrome were established in the Code of Federal Regulations in 2001 (31). Which
personnel acquired Gulf War Syndrome has been discovered to be associated with a genetic susceptibility to Sarin nerve gas exposure,
such that low-level exposures had devastating effects on the hypocampus neurons in the brains of those most genetically vulnerable (32).
This explains why some have been ill and others are not from the same exposures. It was also discovered after the Gulf War that the
pyridostigmine bromide (“p.b.”) anti-nerve gas pills that our troops and contractors took during the Gulf War, while protecting them against
a kind of nerve gas that they were not exposed to, Soman, made them more susceptible to the low-level fallout exposures to the kind of
nerve agent that they were exposed to, Sarin (33). In September 2005, the Veterans Administration Research Advisory Committee on Gulf
War Veterans’ Illnesses concluded that Gulf War Syndrome was probably caused by our troops being exposed to chemical agents (34).

Gulf War Syndrome was established as an occupational illness with the U.S. Department of Labor through the litigation of six very ill DoD
contractors that I have had the honor to represent (35).

There have been some known toxic exposures in the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am representing seven contractors, for
example, that were repeatedly exposed to large amounts of sodium dichromate at a water treatment plant that had been vandalized in Iraq.
This is the same toxic chemical that was the subject of the Erin Brockovich movie in 2001 (36).

Our military appears to have absorbed some lessons learned about toxic exposures from the massive chemical casualties of the First Gulf
War. We may discover additional toxic mishaps coming from the current war, but so far, thankfully, we have not seen the theater-wide scale
of toxic exposures as occurred in the First Gulf War.


7. FOOTNOTES

1. Public Broadcast Service (“PBS”), “Frontline: Private Warriors: Frequently Asked Questions,” p. 2:
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/faqs/

2. There are currently about 120-135,000 in Iraq and about 20,000 in Afghanistan: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33540-
2005Jan24.html; and http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat.htm

3. The Brookings Institute, “Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Post-Saddam Iraq,” p. 15: www.brookings.
edu/fp/saban/iraq/indexarchive.htm

4. O’Leary v. Brown-Pacific-Mason, Inc., 340 U.S.504, 507, 71 S.Ct. 470 (1951).

5. Gillespie v. General Electric Co., 21 B.R.B.S. 56 (1988); & Kirkland v. Air America, Inc., 23 B.R.B.S. 348 (1990).

6. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3585765.stm

7. Bigelow, Bruce V., “Iraq: 136 Titan Corp. Workers Killed Since Iraq War Began,” The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 25, 2005.

8. PBS, “Frontline,” supra, p.2. See also Brookings Institute, supra, p. 13, which lists 355 non-Iraqi civilain contractors killed in Iraq as of the
end of February 2006.

9. Xydakis, M.S., et al., “Analysis of Battlefield Head and Neck Injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg., 133(4): 497-
504 (2005).

10. www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/other/stats/warcost.htm. See also: Gawande, Atul, M.D., “Casualties of War - Military Care for the Wounded from
Iraq and Afghanistan,” The New England Journal of Medicine, 351: Number 24: 2471-2475 (December 9, 2004).

11. U.S. Dept. of Defense statistics: www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf

12. See, for example: Remalingham, T., “Extremity Injuries Remain a High Surgical Workload in a Conflict Zone: Experiences of a British
Field Hospital in Iraq, 2003,” J.R. Army Med. Corps, 150 (3): 187-90 (2004); and Brennan, J., “Experience of First Deployed Otolaryngology
Team in Operation Iraqi Freedom: The Changing Face of Combat Injuries,” Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg., 134 (1): 100-5 (2006).

13. The Brookings Institute, “Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Post-Saddam Iraq, “ p. 5: www.brookings.
edu/fp/saban/iraq/indexarchive.htm An exposition of the mechanics and components of blast injuries can be seen at: www.medscape.
com/viewprogram/4714_pnt
14. http://icasualties.org/oif/Civ.aspx

15. Madar, T.H., “Ocular War Injuries of the Iraqi Insurgency, Jan. - Sept. 2004,” Opthalmology, 113(1): 97-104 (2006).

16. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,132880,00.html; http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/09/21/iraq.beheading/; http://www.
foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119615,00.html; &
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/042688.php

17. Hoge, C.W., et al, “Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mental Health Problems and Barriers to Care,” New England J. Med., 351(1):
13-22 (2004). See also “Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Veterans of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: An Expert Interview With Col.
Elspeth C. Ritchie, M.D., M.P.H.,” Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health, 10 (2) (2005); and http://www.military.com/opinion/0,
15202,79791,00.html

18.http://newsyahoocom/s/nm/20060228/hl_nm/iraq_health_dc&printer=1;_ylt=AmPNYY1FRB8.fO1EJdG28e4R.3QA;
_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE- ( A full copy of this article appears in the Appendix below); http://www.military.com/opinion/0,
15202,79791,00.html; and http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_stress_072705,00.html


19. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-12-22-us-iraq_x.htm

20. “Combat Medicine in Iraq, Part I: An Expert Interview - Col. Cliff Coonan,” www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451483?src=search

21. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=005604&refer; and http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?
s=009904&refer=&units=us

22. http://www.pdhealth.mil/deployments/iraqi_freedom/endemic.asp

23. “Returning Home & Illness and Americans in Southwest Asia,” www.medscape.com/viewprogram/4450-pnt, p. 5. See also Centers for
Disease Control, “Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in U.S. Military Personnel - Southwest/ Central Asia,” MMWR 53(12): 264-5 (2004).

24. Ibid, pp.1-4; Shorr, A.F., et al., “Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Among U.S. Military Personnel Deployed In or Near Iraq, “ Journal of the
American Medical Assn. (“JAMA”), 292 (24): 2997-3005 (2004); and Davis, Kepler, et al., “Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter Extremity
Infections in Soldiers,” Emerg. Infect. Dis., 11 (8) (2005).

25. Dyer, Owen, “Infectious Diseases Increase in Iraq as Public Health Service Deteriorates,” British Medical Journal (“BMJ“), 329: 940 (
October 23, 2004).

26. http://www.pdhealth.mil/deployments/enduring_freedom/concerns.asp. See also Wallace, M.R., et al, “Endemic Infectious Disease of
Afghanistan,” Clin. Infect. Dis., 34 (Suppl.5): S171-207 (2002).

27. CIA - The World Fact Book - Afghanistan: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html

28. Enserinck, M., “War in Iraq. Bracing for Gulf War Syndrome II,” Science, 299 (5615): 1966-7 (2003).

29. During the Gulf War air campaign, coalition aircraft flew 990 sorties against 23 Iraqi chemical and biological weapons research,
production and storage facilities. U.S. Department of Defense, Gulf News, 4(2): at p. 1 (March, 2000). Three months before the air war
began, Livermore National Laboratory predicted that chemical warfare agent fallout would cover the positions of U.S. troops in Saudi
Arabia. USA Today, p. 1 (August 14, 1997). Though this classified research was performed for the U.S. Air Force, the study never reached
General Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War. USA Today, p. 1 (August 15-17, 1997). From the beginning of the air war until its end, each of the
nearly 14,000 M8A1 chemical alarms deployed in the war went off an average of two or three times a day. U.S. Congress, Committee on
Government Reform and Oversight, Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses: VA, DoD Continue to Resist Strong Evidence Linking Toxic Causes to
Chronic Health Effects, at p. 18 (November 17, 1998). The most sophisticated chemical detection equipment in the Gulf War was with the
Czech Republic chemical detection forces. They detected the nerve agent Sarin on January 19, 1991, near Hafir al Batin where hundreds of
thousands of U.S. troops were massed. Ibid, at pp. 15 & 17. The U.S. Department of Defense has admitted that the Czech detections were
valid. Ibid, p. 15. French forces also detected nerve gas during the air bombing campaign. Ibid, p. 17. The U.S. Department of Defense has
admitted that approximately 100,000 U.S. troops were exposed to low-level Sarin nerve gas from the destruction of just one Iraqi
ammunition dump in March, 1991, at Khamisiyah. Ibid. On 6/1/04, the General Accounting Office (the U.S. Congress research arm) strongly
criticized the Pentagon’s previous plume models of chemical fallout that occurred during and in the weeks after the Gulf War. The DoD
underestimated the exposure of chemical warfare agents, such as nerve gas and mustard gas. DoD models of the effects of toxic plumes
of chemical agents did not realistically simulate actual bombings or demolitions, the GAO report said. The DoD’s models underestimated
the plume heights and the extent of the hazard areas. A copy of the GAO report can be seen at: http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?
rptno=GAO-04-821T

30. Fukuda, K., “Chronic Multisymptom Illness Affecting Air Force Veterans of the Gulf War,” Journal of the American Medical Assn., 28:981-
988, at 983 (9/16/98).

31. There are 13 categories of symptoms correlated with Gulf War Illness. These categories track the medical research regarding Gulf War
Illness. They are set out at 38 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 3.317 (effective July 1, 2001), and are as follows:The undiagnosed
illness compensation program for Gulf War veterans now include those who have suffered six months or more of disabilities, who are
disabled 10% or more, and suffer from signs or symptoms including:
1.) Fatigue 2.) Signs or symptoms involving skin 3.) Headache 4.) Muscle pain5.) Joint pain 6.) Neurological signs or symptoms7.)
Neuropsychological signs or symptoms 8.) Signs or symptoms involving the respiratory system (upper or lower)9.) Sleep disturbances10.)
Gastrointestinal signs or symptoms11.) Cardiovascular signs or symptoms12.) Abnormal weight loss13.) Menstrual disorders

32. Mackness, B., et al., “Low Paraoxonase in Persian Gulf War Veterans Self-Reporting Gulf War Syndrome,” Biochemical and Biophysical
Research Communications, 276:729-733 (2000); and Haley, R.W., Billecke, S., & La Du, B.N., “Association of Low PON1 Type Q (Type A)
Arylesterase Activity with Neurologic Symptom Complexes in Gulf War Veterans,” Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 157:227-233 (1999).

33. Koplovitz, I., et al, “Reduction By Pyridostigmine Pretreatment of the Efficacy of Atropine and 2-PAM Treatment of Sarin and VX Poisoning
in Rodents,” Fundamental and Applied Toxicology, 18:102-106 (1992); and U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Staff Report, Is
Military Research Hazardous To Veterans? Heath? Lessons Spanning Half a Century, at p.26 (12/8/94). The U.S. military has been ordered
to stop the use of p.b. pills. El Paso Times (8/24/99).

34. Scientific Progress in Understanding Gulf War Veteran's Illnesses: Report and Recommendations. The full text of the report can be
found at: http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi. Findings 1, 3 & 4 of the V.A. Research Committee are the most relevant ones. They state the
following:
"Finding 1 - A substantial proportion of Gulf War veterans are ill with multisymptom conditions not explained by wartime stress or
psychiatric illness.
"Finding 3 - A growing body of research indicates that an important component of Gulf War veterans illnesses is neurological in character.
"Finding 4 - Evidence supports a probable link between exposure to neurotoxins and the development of Gulf War veteran's illnesses.
(Emphasis added) [Note: The neurotoxin exposures consisted of: nerve gas, the p.b. pills, and pesticides.]
Pages 47-53 and 59-66 of the report discusses exposure to chemical weapons during the Gulf War, the correlation between low-level
exposure to chemical agents and chronic illness, research showing the synergistic effects of combinations of exposures, and the
enhanced genetic vulnerability of some individuals to chemical agent exposure.

35. Herman Piceynski v. Dyncorp, BRB No. 97-1451 (7/17/98), 1994- LHC-2387 (10/18/99); Karl Lane v. Bell Helicopter Co., 1998 - LHC-
1012 (6/4/99), BRB Nos. 99-1007 & 99-1007A (6/23/00); Donald Frans v. General Dynamics, 2000-LHC-00593 (1/22/01); James Keenan v.
General Dynamics, 2000-LHC-00349 (2/22/01); John Knebel v. General Dynamics, 2000-LHC-1290 (3/22/01); and Larry Pascaretti v.
General Dynamics, 2002-LHC-792, OWCP No. 2-116652 (4/18/01).
36. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium

APPENDIX

“1-in-10 US Iraq Veterans Have Stress Disorder: Study”
Feb 28, 2006(Reuters News Service)

Nearly one in 10 American soldiers who served in Iraq were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, most after witnessing death or
participating in combat, a study said on Tuesday.

Mental health screening of veterans showed 21,620 out of 222,620 returning from Iraq and assessed over the year ending April 30, 2004,
suffered from post-traumatic stress -- a disorder that can lead to nightmares, flashbacks and delusional thinking.

Overall, 19.1 percent of soldiers and Marines who returned from Iraq met the military's "risk criteria for a mental health concern" such as
post-traumatic stress or depression, compared to 11.3 percent among veterans who served in Afghanistan and 8.5 percent from
deployments elsewhere, the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said.

The survey covered 222,620 returning veterans from Iraq, 16,318 from Afghanistan and 64,967 from other deployments.

"A higher percentage of those soldiers (returning from Iraq) report mental health concerns and use mental health services when they get
home ... compared to soldiers who are returning from deployment to Afghanistan or other locations," said study author Col. Charles Hoge
of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Of those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, 80 percent said they had witnessed people being killed or wounded or had participated in
combat and fired their weapon, the report said. Of those not diagnosed, half had experienced violence or combat.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related mental problems can lead to family strife, divorce, alcohol and substance abuse,
and unemployment, Hoge said.

While one in five veterans returning from Iraq reported concerns about their mental health, about one-third ultimately went for at least one
session to be evaluated or counseled, the study said.

"The majority of service members who were referred for mental health treatment, got that treatment," Hoge said. "We're trying to encourage
soldiers to come in early because we know that earlier treatment of mental health problems is the best way to prevent the long-term
consequences that we've seen from past wars.

"The findings have important implications for estimating the level of mental health services that may be needed," Hoge added.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited.



Post-traumatic Stress Disorder DSM-IVÔ Diagnosis & Criteria
309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Diagnostic Features

The essential feature of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme
traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or other threat
to one's physical integrity; or witnessing an event that involves death, injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of another person; or
learning about unexpected or violent death, serious harm, or threat of death or injury experienced by a family member or other close
associate (Criterion A1). The person's response to the event must involve intense fear, helplessness, or horror (or in children, the
response must involve disorganized or agitated behavior) (Criterion A2). The characteristic symptoms resulting from the exposure to the
extreme trauma include persistent reexperiencing of the traumatic event (Criterion B), persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the
trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (Criterion C), and persistent symptoms of increased arousal (Criterion D). The full
symptom picture must be present for more than 1 month (Criterion E), and the disturbance must cause clinically significant distress or
impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (Criterion F).
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Traumatic events that are experienced directly include, but are not limited to, military combat, violent personal assault (sexual assault,
physical attack, robbery, mugging), being kidnapped, being taken hostage, terrorist attack, torture, incarceration as a prisoner of war or in a
concentration camp, natural or manmade disasters, severe automobile accidents, or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. For
children, sexually traumatic events may include developmentally inappropriate sexual experiences without threatened or actual violence or
injury. Witnessed events include, but are not limited to, observing the serious injury or unnatural death of another person due to violent
assault, accident, war, or disaster or unexpectedly witnessing a dead body or body parts. Events experienced by others that are learned
about include, but are not limited to, violent personal assault, serious accident, or serious injury experienced by a family member or a
close friend; learning about the sudden, unexpected death of a family member or a close friend; or learning that one's child has a life-
threatening disease. The disorder may be especially severe or long lasting when the stressor is of human design (e.g., torture, rape). The
likelihood of developing this disorder may increase as the intensity of and physical proximity to the stressor increase.
The traumatic event can be reexperienced in various ways. Commonly the person has recurrent and intrusive recollections of the event
(Criterion B1) or recurrent distressing dreams during which the event is replayed (Criterion B2). In rare instances, the person experiences
dissociative states that last from a few seconds to several hours, or even days, during which components of the event are relived and the
person behaves as though experiencing the event at that moment (Criterion B3). Intense psychological distress (Criterion B4) or
physiological reactivity (Criterion B5) often occurs when the person is exposed to triggering events that resemble or symbolize an aspect of
the traumatic event (e.g. anniversaries of the traumatic event; cold, snowy weather or uniformed guards for survivors of death camps in cold
climates; hot, humid weather for combat veterans of the South Pacific; entering any elevator for a woman who was raped in an elevator).

Stimuli associated with the trauma are persistently avoided. The person commonly makes deliberate efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or
conversations about the traumatic event (Criterion C1) and to avoid activities, situation, or people who arouse recollections of it (Criterion
C2).

This avoidance of reminders may include amnesia for an important aspect of the traumatic event (Criterion C3). Diminished
responsiveness to the external world, referred to as "psychic numbing" or "emotional anesthesia," usually begins soon after the traumatic
event. The individual may complain of having markedly diminished interest or participation in previously enjoyed activities (Criterion C4), of
feeling detached or estranged from other people (Criterion C5), or of having markedly reduced ability to feel emotions (especially those
associated with intimacy, tenderness, and sexuality) (Criterion C6). The individual may have a sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., not
expecting to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span) (Criterion C7).

The individual has persistent symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal that were not present before the trauma. These symptoms may
include difficulty falling or staying asleep that may be due to recurrent nightmares during which the traumatic event is relived (Criterion D1),
hypervigilance (Criterion D4), and exaggerated startle response (Criterion D5). Some individuals report irritability or outbursts of anger
(Criterion D2) or difficulty concentrating or completing tasks (Criterion D3).
Specifiers
The following specifiers may be used to specify onset and duration of the symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:
Acute. This specifier should be used when the duration of symptoms is less than 3 months.Chronic. This specifier should be used when
the symptoms last 3 months or longer.With Delayed Onset. This specifier indicates that at least 6 months have passed between the
traumatic event and the onset of the symptoms.

Associated Features and Disorders

Associated descriptive features and mental disorders. Individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder may describe painful guilt feelings
about surviving when others did not survive or about the things they had to do to survive. Phobic avoidance of situations or activities that
resemble or symbolize the original trauma may interfere with interpersonal relationships and lead to marital conflict, divorce, or loss of job.
The following associated constellation of symptoms may occur and are more commonly seen in association with an interpersonal
stressor (e.g., childhood sexual or physical abuse, domestic battering, being taken hostage, incarceration as a prisoner of war or in a
concentration camp, torture): impaired complaints; feelings of ineffectiveness, shame, despair, or hopelessness; feeling permanently
damaged; a loss of previously sustained beliefs, hostility; social withdrawal; feeling constantly threatened; impaired relationships with
others; or a change from the individual's previous personality characteristics.

There may be increased risk of Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, Major
Depressive Disorder, Somatization Disorder, and Substance-Related Disorders. It is not known to what extent these disorders precede or
follow the onset of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Associated laboratory findings. Increased arousal may be measured through studies of autonomic functioning (e.g., heart rate,
electromyography, sweat gland activity).

Associated physical examination findings and general medical conditions. General medical conditions may occur as a consequence of
the trauma (e.g., head injury, burns).

Specific Culture and Age Features

Individuals who have recently emigrated from areas of considerable social unrest and civil conflict may have elevated rates of
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Such individuals may be especially reluctant to divulge experiences of torture and trauma due to their
vulnerable political immigrant status. Specific assessments of traumatic experiences and concomitant symptoms are needed for such
individuals.

In younger children, distressing dreams of the event may, within several weeks, change into generalized nightmares of monsters, of
rescuing others, or of threats to self or others. Young children usually do not have the sense that they are reliving the past; rather, the
reliving of the trauma may occur through repetitive play (e.g., a child who was involved in a serious automobile accident repeatedly
reenacts car crashes with toy cars). Because it may be difficult for children to report diminished interest in significant activities and
constriction of affect, these symptoms should be carefully evaluated with reports from parents, teachers, and other observers. In children,
the sense of a foreshortened future may be evidenced by the belief that life will be too short to include becoming an adult. There may also
be "omen formation" - that is, belief in an ability to foresee future untoward events. Children may also exhibit various physical symptoms
such as stomachaches and headaches.

Prevalence

Community-based studies reveal a lifetime prevalence for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ranging from 1% to 14%, with the variability
related to methods of ascertainment and the population sampled. Studies of at-risk individuals (e.g., combat veterans, victims of volcanic
eruptions or criminal violence) have yielded prevalence rates ranging from 3% to 58%.
Course

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can occur at any age, including childhood. Symptoms usually begin within the first 3 months after the
trauma, although there may be a delay of months, or even years, before symptoms appear. Frequently, the disturbance initially meets
criteria for Acute Stress Disorder (see p. 429) in the immediate aftermath of the trauma. The symptoms of the disorder and the relative
predominance of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms may vary over time. Duration of the symptoms varies, with
complete recovery occurring within 3 months in approximately half of cases, with many others having persisting symptoms for longer than
12 months after the trauma.
The severity, duration, and proximity of an individual's exposure to the traumatic event are the most important factors affecting the likelihood
of developing this disorder. There is some evidence that social supports, family history, childhood experiences, personality variables, and
preexisting mental disorders may influence the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. This disorder can develop in individuals
without any predisposing conditions, particularly if the stressor is especially extreme.

Differential Diagnosis

In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, the stressor must be of an extreme (i.e., life-threatening) nature. In contrast, in Adjustment Disorder, the
stressor can be of any severity. The diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder is appropriate both for situations in which the response to an
extreme stressor does not meet the criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (or another specific mental disorder) and for situations in
which the symptom pattern of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder occurs in response to a stressor that is not extreme (e.g., spouse leaving,
being fired).

Not all psychopathology that occurs in individuals exposed to an extreme stressor should necessarily be attributed to Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder. Symptoms of avoidance, numbing, and increased arousal that are present before exposure to the stressor do not meet criteria
for the diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and require consideration of other diagnoses (e.g., Brief Psychotic Disorder,
Conversion Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder), these diagnoses should be given instead of, or in addition to, Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder.

Acute Stress Disorder is distinguished from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder because the symptom pattern in Acute Stress Disorder must
occur within 4 weeks of the traumatic event and resolve within that 4-week period. If the symptoms persist for more than 1 month and meet
criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, the diagnosis is changed from Acute Stress Disorder to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, there are recurrent intrusive thoughts, but these are experienced as inappropriate and are not related
to an experienced traumatic event. Flashbacks in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder must be distinguished from illusions, hallucinations, and
other perceptual disturbances that may occur in Schizophrenia, other Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, a
delirium, Substance-Induced Disorders, and Psychotic Disorders Due to a General Medical Condition.
Malingering should be ruled out in those situations in which financial remuneration, benefit eligibility, and forensic determinations play a
role.

309.81 DSM-IV Criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present:
(1) the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury,
or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others (2) the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: In
children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.
B. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:

(1) recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: In young children,
repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.

(2) recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: In children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.(3) acting or
feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative
flashback episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: In young children, trauma-specific reenactment
may occur.

(4) intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

(5) physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as
indicated by three (or more) of the following:

(1) efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma

(2) efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma

(3) inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma

(4) markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities

(5) feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

(6) restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)

(7) sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following:

(1) difficulty falling or staying asleep (2) irritability or outbursts of anger (3) difficulty concentrating (4) hypervigilance (5) exaggerated startle
response
E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than one month.

F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Specify if: Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than 3 months Chronic: if duration of symptoms is 3 months or more

Delayed Onset: If onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the stressor.
PTSD not only effects our service men,
but effects our American contractors
as well.  If you suffer or feel you might
suffer from PTSD and need to talk,
please email us.

PTSD@americancontractorsiniraq.com

We're here to help or just listen.  



The Iraq War,
Clinician Guide, 2 edtion

Also check out our support group for
PTSD.
I'm Jana and feel free to drop me a line
mrsdkcrowd@yahoo.com
Helping your fellow America get
help is not a crime and shouldn't
be held against you in a court a
law!


National Center for PTSD
15th Annual Admiralty &
Maritime Law Conference
Houston, Texas

PTSD TIMELINE
Iraq War Hero
Murder/Suicide
Blackwater Employee PTSD
Care Questioned?

BlackWater- man kills  local
North Carolina man (Oct.10,
2007- they are seeking the death
penalty!
John Mancini- 51
News story made no connection that he
was an Iraq vet.  
Click Here


This one is called, "John, Don't
surrender".


If it wasn't for some intervention this
man would not of gotten the help he
needed.  
Click Here
Could an exit Review
prevented any of
these?

It's not mandatory,
but is it's our moral
obligation?
PTSD Combat-
BLOG
Winning the War Within
REMEMBER- PTSD is like CANCER, it's a hidden injury...
Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exists, and if not cought TREAT
PTSD, don't let it go undiagnosed.  
This song was made for our PTSD Conference and much Thanks goes out to Tom for providing this music
for us!  Thanks for your contributions to help our cause on behalf of the members of ACII!


The issue of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has reached public attention in an
unexpected way through the revelations that our military medical establishment has
failed on major fronts to provide the very best treatment deserved by American
implemented. Please read my Op-Ed referenced
Dr. David R. Leffler (2007, July 2). Meditation Could Help: Reducing Stress-Related
Problems at Military and VA Facilities. Military.com,      Available here:

Below this message are the abstract and a link to Colonel (Dr.) Brian M. Rees US Army
War College masters degree research paper on the topic of Strategic Stress
Management (SSM). His presentation on 12 November 2007 at the Association of
Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) convention included this topic.

Colonel Rees is quoted in Military Officer about a side benefit for military personnel
when using SSM. The article describes alternative treatment approaches to combat
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Military Officer magazine is the flagship
publication of Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). The article is available
online here

An important point to consider is that research shows that all meditation and relaxation
techniques do not necessarily have the same results. See: "Are All Meditations the
Same? Comparing the Neural Patterns of Mindfulness Meditation, Tibetan Buddhism
Kargyu tradition and the Transcendental Meditation Technique." Available here


Unlike many other meditation and relaxation techniques the TM program is easy to learn
and fun to practice, and extensive research shows that it is more effective and efficient
than other relaxation techniques. Please see "Comparison of Techniques Issue: Are all
forms of meditation and relaxation the same?" Available here


Also, a new study of 60 male subjects in their 40’s and 50’s found that ultraweak photon
emissions were significantly lower at all 12 anatomical locations studied in subjects
practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique (TM) and Other Meditation
Techniques (OMT= Tao, Zen, Christian, and Hindu Yoga meditations) than in non-
meditating controls. See:
http://www.truthabouttm.
org/truth/Research/NewStudies/UltraweakPhotonEmissionandMeditation/index.cfm



Fortunately, the US Army is exploring many alternative approaches including the TM
program. Please see a blog article by Noah Shachtman, a contributing editor at Wired
magazine: http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/03/army-bioenergy.html



Thank you for forwarding this information to appropriate people. I would be glad to help
arrange presentations on this topic to anyone who might be interested.

Sincerely,

David R. Leffler, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS)
http://www.StrongMilitary.org
VISITING THIS LINK FROM THIS WEBSITE MIGHT BE USED AGAINST YOU
IN THE COURT OF LAW STATING YOU LEARNED HOW TO FAKE ptsd
120 vets die each week from
Suicide, those statistics do not
include contractors suicide.  
USAWC PROGRAM RESEARCH PAPER


by

COLONEL BRIAN M. REES

Medical Corps , United States Army Reserve

Topic approved by

Kenneth W. Womack

The views expressed in this academic research paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the U.S.
Government, the Department of Defense, or any of its agencies.  

U.S. Army War College

CARLISLE BARRACKS , PENNSYLVANIA 17013

ABSTRACT

AUTHOR:    Colonel Brian M. Rees
TITLE:          The Application of Strategic Stress Management in Winning the Peace
FORMAT:    DDE Research Paper
DATE:          2 May 2007      PAGES: 34             CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified



Although the US is preeminent in maneuver warfare, success in current (and probable future) counterinsurgency operations is hampered by the infectious
ideology of the enemy.  But the stress and frustration necessary to fuel the insurgency and Islamist terrorism are enemy critical vulnerabilities.

Strategic Stress Management (SSM), in the form of groups of persons practicing a meditative technique called the TM-Sidhi Program, can be applied to
reduce hostilities in targeted populations.  The underlying hypothesis is that consciousness is a field, and that effects generated in the field of consciousness
can affect the brain chemistry, the thinking and the subsequent behavior of potential belligerents who are not engaged in or even aware of the practice.  This
hypothesis has been tested in over fifty studies that have documented reductions in combat deaths, crime, and terrorist acts related to the size of the groups
practicing the intervention.

As a prospective Course of Action (COA), SSM is suitable and feasible, and readily distinguishable from virtually any other COA.  However, it is unorthodox,
and its acceptability is uncertain.

THE APPLICATION OF STRATEGIC STRESS MANAGEMENT IN WINNING THE PEACE