Sep 10, 2008 — The United States Army is facing a particularly grim statistic. After a record number of soldiers killed themselves last year, the number of suicides is on pace to be even higher this year. According to the Associated Press, there are 62 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers and Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty in 2008. Another 31 deaths appear to be suicides but are still being investigated. Army Secretary Pete Geren told the AP, "Army leaders are fully aware that repeated deployments have led to increased distress and anxiety for both soldiers and their families." Friday morning at Fort Drum, officials are drawing attention to the danger of suicide with a memorial walk at 11 am. The public is invited to attend. David Sommerstein spoke with Ralph Marcellus, the coordinator of Fort Drum's suicide awareness and prevention campaign.  Go to full article

May 28, 2008 — New Pentagon figures show 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003. But Army officials believe many more are keeping their illness secret. A study released last month by the Rand Corporation puts the number much higher. It found that 300,000 - one in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan -- suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or major depression. Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker says officials are encouraging troops to get help, military or civilian. Fort Drum in Watertown has begun expanding its mental health programs. The VA is also scrambling to create new therapy methods to treat PTSD. In the May 19 issue of The New Yorker magazine, North Country writer Sue Halpern profiled one experimental new treatment called "Virtual Iraq."

Halpern told Brian Mann the story of one Marine named Travis Boyd who used the "virtual reality" computer simulation to heal from his wartime experience.  Go to full article

Apr 17, 2008 — Mental health advocates are asking New York's legislature to expand unlimited mental health coverage for people with post traumatic stress disorder, including returning war veterans and victims of domestic violence. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.  Go to full article

Mar 18, 2008 — Late Friday night, a 23 year-old Fort Drum soldier injured seven pedestrians when he plowed into a crowd leaving a music club in Watertown. Kristopher Hendricks hit a parked car, then drove the wrong way down a one-way street. He was charged with drunk driving. Watertown police say all the people Hendricks hit are fellow soldiers. All but one has been released from the hospital. The incident came a week after Fort Drum's weekly newspaper began publishing the names and photos of soldiers arrested for DWI. The policy has touched off a debate over the best way to handle the misdeeds of combat veterans who have recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Mar 10, 2008 — A 10th Mountain Division soldier planned to turn himself in Friday after he went AWOL to avoid deployment to Iraq. But according to the Watertown Daily Times, 21 year-old Specialist Brian Currie became agitated as he approached Fort Drum and decided he couldn't go through with it. Currie says a military doctor ruled him unfit for deployment from injuries sustained in Afghanistan. He and 4 other soldiers are requesting a military court of inquiry investigate allegations of harassment and mistreatment. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Mar 06, 2008 — Fort Drum's commander says an increase in drunk driving, drug use, and other crimes among soldiers is unacceptable. And he's using public pressure to deal with it. The base newspaper will publish the names and photos of soldiers charged with DWI. 3500 Fort Drum soldiers returned from Iraq last November. It was the second or third tour of duty for many of them. As David Sommerstein reports, substance abuse is often associated with combat trauma.  Go to full article

Mar 05, 2008 — Fort Drum's main headquarters is getting ready to take control of the south-central area of Iraq. Major General Michael Oates, the base's commander, will lead more than a thousand troops to Iraq in May. While they're there, three other 10th Mountain Division brigades will be preparing to deploy this fall. Yesterday, General Oates gave some members of the media a tour of a training war room that's a replica of the real thing in Iraq. David Sommerstein was there and has this report.  Go to full article

Dec 14, 2007 — This week we've been reporting on the struggles of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in getting help with combat trauma. Today we get a window inside their world from one of the North Country's most respected experts. Nellie Coakley is a Vietnam veteran. She relies on her own experience in her work as a war trauma counselor. She's worked out the region's Vet Center since the 1980s. Vet Centers were created to give an alternative to Vietnam vets who didn't trust the standard VA channels. Coakley counsels an increasing number of Iraq and Afghanistan vets, and she sees a similar mistrust. She says the American public needs to do more to understand post-traumatic stress disorder and help veterans re-enter society. The trouble is, soldiers coming home with PTSD find they can't leave their warrior training behind. For them, Coakley told David Sommerstein, combat is life-changing.  Go to full article

Dec 13, 2007 — Since the war in Iraq began, the U.S. military has come under increasing fire for a mental health system that even top officials acknowledge needs a complete overhaul. Soldiers fighting combat trauma go untreated. Trained psychologists are in short supply. Funding for research into post-traumatic stress disorder is inadequate. Across the country, a growing number of soldiers are taking matters into their own hands. They're compiling lists of resources for people who need help. And they're organizing their own group therapy sessions. In part three of our series on PTSD, a café in Watertown has become a refuge for soldiers who are breaking rank and seeking help on their own. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Dec 12, 2007 — If you hear one complaint from soldiers about how the Army handles post-traumatic stress disorder, it's about a bureaucracy that doesn't seem to care. The military officially recognized PTSD as a medical illness almost 30 years ago. Yet soldiers still complain of not getting the help they need. Mountains of paperwork, a backlog of claims, a shortage of licensed psychologists, and a dearth of scientific research all get in the way. In part two of our series on treating PTSD at Fort Drum, David Sommerstein has the story of one soldier who says Fort Drum's mental health system failed him again and again.

CORRECTION TO ORIGINAL STORY: This story first reported that the military requires three letters from commanders documenting that a soldier was in a traumatic combat situation. A Fort Drum spokesman e-mailed to say that one letter is required. The audio has been changed accordingly.  Go to full article