Developing Post-War Soldiers

The Army released yesterday what amounts to a well-thought-out guidebook on how to care for and manage troops after eleven years of constant combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 211-page report and the work that went into it was spearheaded by Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who said it lays out the biggest challenges the Army faces as "our soldiers return home and begin the process of reintegrating back into their units, families and communities."

The report, which goes by the long title of "Generating Health and Discipline in the Force Ahead of Strategic Reset" acknowledges up front that the shift from combat will not be easy and that soldiers cannot easily flip a switch from multiple deployments to garrison duty overnight.

The report also says upfront that multiple post-combat problems troops face are intertwined. "One of the most important lessons the Army has learned is that many health and disciplinary issues, ranging from post traumatic stress to illicit drug use to suicide, are interrelated," the report said.

And, the report says, the service has to live with the consequences of decisions made on the battlefield. For example, "failure to anticipate the impact that medical treatments can have on a soldier's propensity for misconduct puts that soldier at greater risk. For instance, a medical provider who prescribes a soldier powerful narcotic 'painkillers' must recognize and mitigate any potential for addiction and addiction‐related misconduct."

The report offers an extensive discussion and insights into the invisible wounds of war troops and their commanders need to deal with including PTSD and traumatic brain injury as well as the short term, bound-to-fail treatments combat veterans resort to -- booze and drugs, legal or illegal.

It also deals with physical health, support of family relationships and the need for enlightened discipline for troops who often operated with little oversight in combat for years.

I salute Chiarelli and the rest of the Army leadership for this report and hope all leaders -- whether they have stripes on their sleeves or stars on their shoulders -- read it.