The Pentagon has released a report on the mental health of American soldiers in Iraq. The results are worrying. My read on its findings
Factors affecting soldiers' mental health, pretty logical, no surprise
1. Soldiers are more likely to have mental problems the longer they stay in Iraq
2. If they are actually engaged in combat, they get significantly higher stress levels
3. Marines and soldiers suffer equally (dismissing claims by many that marines are better, tougher fighters)
Soldiers' attitude towards treating non-combatants, reflecting their status of mental health. Alarming!
1. 41% of soldiers and 44% of marines believed that torture should be permitted if it would save the life of a fellow soldier or marine
2. 36% of soldiers and 39% of marines said torture should be allowed to extract important information about Iraqi insurgents
3. 47% of soldiers and 38% of marines felt that non-combatants should be treated with dignity and respect, as required by the Geneva Conventions
While acknowledging the problems, remedial measures listed in the report are largely tactical short-term fixes. Not sure whether they'll yield any significant effect
For more information,
View the Economist's coverage
View the full report at the US Army website