Wall Street Journal Headline: U.S. Sergeant Is Charged With Killing 5 Comrades

The May 13th Wall Street Journal carried a front-page news blurb about this deadly incident at a Baghdad counseling center and then ran a complete story on page A12.

The sergeant had had "multiple deployments" and:

Military officers familiar with the investigation said that members of Sgt. Russell's unit warned their immediate superiors several weeks ago that the middle-aged soldier was behaving dangerously. Commanders confiscated Sgt. Russell's M-4 rifle and handgun and referred him to the center for outpatient counseling.

This paragraph is very important because the military has been running a campaign to get military personnel to be alert to comrades who need mental help. (See the ad with this post.)

The Journal article went on to say (boldface is mine):

The military has launched an investigation into the general availability of mental-health services and policies in Iraq, Gen. Perkins said. He added that the military was doing everything it could to avoid another incident.

The probe also will examine how the military diagnoses and treats mental and behavioral health problems. The military's suicide rate has risen sharply in recent years, and some studies suggest that as many as one out of every six troops may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Those of you who read this blog regularly and listen to the BlogTalkRadio show www.YourMilitaryLife.com that I co-host with Nancy Brown of www.YourMilitary.com know that the topic of PTSD -- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -- is one of our main areas of interest. Nancy and I want to make as many people as possible aware of the symptoms so that they can spot those who need help.

Please go to my new site www.InSupportofOurTroops.com right now and sign up to get Heather Hummert's free report "PTSD: What You Need to Know." The life you may save by helping someone get help could be of someone you love.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of MRS. LIEUTENANT: A SHARON GOLD NOVEL and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. She also blogs at LA Internet Business Examiner, Operation Support Jews in the Military, and Fiction Marketing, and she is the co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show Your Military Life. Her company Miller Mosaic LLC builds call-to-action websites for book authors and small businesses.