This is coolbert: Recent program on TV profiled two doctors, military reservists, who were being called to active duty because of the on-going counter-insurgency in Iraq. These men, both psychiatrists, were being activated, even though they were both elderly for military men, in their sixties [60's]. This was taken as being a sign that the Army in particular is scraping the bottom of the barrel, as they just do not have enough people to do the job.

This seems to be a bit of an exaggeration. It was not clear that both men would deploy to Iraq. They might be retained stateside and merely take the place of younger men who would deploy to the war zone.

And as psychiatrists, it should be apparent that they are being activated with the intention of treating a particular group of casualties.

Those persons who are suffering from mental instability or mental trauma due to combat.

Some statistics have been bandied about concerning casualties in Iraq that are striking and somewhat peculiar. It has been alleged that the total number of casualties [killed in action [KIA] plus wounded in action [WIA]] in Iraq has been around 28,000. This seems strange as the total number of deaths in Iraq to date is near 1100. Normally the number of casualties at this point with that number of dead would be around 4000 to 5000. This assumes the ratio of wounded over killed is about three or four to one. This was the observed rate in Vietnam, for instance. That figure of 28,000 might be grossly overinflated as a means of portraying the war as a lost cause with the casualty figures being misrepresented. How that figure of 28,000 was arrived at is just beyond me? It may be that the figure of 28,000 includes all persons treated for mental trauma or stress too.

In World War One combat stress related mental illness was called "shell shock".

In World War Two combat stress related mental illness was called "combat fatigue".

It is now realized that combat and the involuntary flow of certain chemicals in the brain induces what we now call combat stress related mental illness. I have talked about this extensively in other blog entries. Most of the time, treatment by a psychiatrist can greatly alleviate the patients mental illness and a trained soldier salvaged. A trained soldier that in many cases can return to combat relatively unscathed.

Rather than scraping the bottom of the barrel by activating sixty year old men, this may well be a sign that the Army has recognized a problem before it has become widespread and taken a positive effort to solve or mitigate the malady.

It should also be noted that it does make a LOT of sense to keep these trained men on call but on reserve status when there is no war. Having extra psychiatrists on full time active duty in peace time just is not reasonable. Battle stress mental illness, whatever the nature and form, will just not manifest itself unless the shooting starts. During a time of peace, you will not have battle stress. The presence of fear is lacking. Obvious!!

coolbert.