Top Army official to unveil new PTSD review at Lewis-McChord
»Play Video
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - The Secretary of the Army will visit Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Monday to unveil the results of a controversial investigation triggered, in part, by local soldiers.
The results could lead to better mental health treatment for troops with post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
In the meantime, base officials are preparing for Monday's high-level visit as Secretary of the Army John McHugh comes under a lot of pressure to do something.
Lewis-McChord soldiers complained last year - accusing Madigan Army Medical Center doctors of changing PTSD diagnoses to other conditions that would cost the government less in benefit payouts.
That charge that upsets some military parents.
"That is important that they take care of these guys when they come back," says military parent Tony Scott. "It's not these guys' fault they did their part. The government should do their part."
Soldiers who wanted KOMO News to hide their identities say they think the Army has not done all it can for soldiers returning from combat with mental health issues.
"Listening and open ears to the soldiers - definitely, they do need to work on that," says one career soldier.
He said he is looking forward to hearing what the secretary will say Monday about the investigation into the complaints.
"You can make your speech - you can say anything. But has it happened yet?"
The high-level visit comes as the Pentagon confirmed a tragic reality. More American soldiers died of suicide in 2012 than in combat in Afghanistan. Suicide deaths amounted to 325 troops last year - a record high number.
But some soldiers think the Army is making improvements.
"In the short amount of time I've been here I've seen it change - definitely for the better," says tank crew member James Hong.
Hong thinks commanders have gotten the message and have worked to fix some of the problems with Madigan's behavior health program. He's had mostly positive experiences with base doctors.
"I have no physical ailments - never been injured in my life before. I've been diagnosed with a mental illness, and I'm getting taken care of."
The results could lead to better mental health treatment for troops with post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
In the meantime, base officials are preparing for Monday's high-level visit as Secretary of the Army John McHugh comes under a lot of pressure to do something.
Lewis-McChord soldiers complained last year - accusing Madigan Army Medical Center doctors of changing PTSD diagnoses to other conditions that would cost the government less in benefit payouts.
That charge that upsets some military parents.
"That is important that they take care of these guys when they come back," says military parent Tony Scott. "It's not these guys' fault they did their part. The government should do their part."
Soldiers who wanted KOMO News to hide their identities say they think the Army has not done all it can for soldiers returning from combat with mental health issues.
"Listening and open ears to the soldiers - definitely, they do need to work on that," says one career soldier.
He said he is looking forward to hearing what the secretary will say Monday about the investigation into the complaints.
"You can make your speech - you can say anything. But has it happened yet?"
The high-level visit comes as the Pentagon confirmed a tragic reality. More American soldiers died of suicide in 2012 than in combat in Afghanistan. Suicide deaths amounted to 325 troops last year - a record high number.
But some soldiers think the Army is making improvements.
"In the short amount of time I've been here I've seen it change - definitely for the better," says tank crew member James Hong.
Hong thinks commanders have gotten the message and have worked to fix some of the problems with Madigan's behavior health program. He's had mostly positive experiences with base doctors.
"I have no physical ailments - never been injured in my life before. I've been diagnosed with a mental illness, and I'm getting taken care of."
My PTSD triggered while I was in Iraq, which had me medevac out. The part where it got ugly was when the Warrior Transition unit(WTU) booted me out without back to civilian life without any proper treatment other than any molotov cocktail of medications they wanted to try on me. Absolutely no counseling at all for the 4 months I was in one. So it festered within me for years steadily getting worse.It took me three years of struggling with it and watching my family suffer from my the affects it places on them in relation to me as well before finally getting proper help from a vet center, they actually called me after getting a tip from someone. Just a note: Initial counseling through the VA directly, instead of a vet center, actually made it far worse due to the inexperience of some of it's counselors, which further enhanced my distrust. I wold give anything, and I know many others would as well, to not have this disease. All we wanted to do is serve our country. But then again, you have shitcan politics trying to make it even harder for those who are already suffering by trying to squeeze money out places they shouldn't do so. And people wonder why the VA has such a reputation.What the military as a whole should be doing is resilience training before and after every deployment to further emotionally prepare our servicemen and women for all the effects of war so they have the tools to cope with it's burdens. THAT is where you would save money and far more importantly, the lives of my brothers and sisters in arms who have served.
I'm pretty sure that the number currently diagnosed or applying for benefits (over 400K) will soon surpass the total number in the military.
I think that JBLM is a good place to analyze PTSD. I took basic training at Fort Lewis and I can tell you that the US Army is an expert in the TS part of PTSD. We were told that stress and harassment was a necessary part of training so that we could do our jobs under the high stress of combat. I'm sure the fact that there is no draft now, causing multiple and extended overseas combat tours has absolutely nothing to do with PTSD.
I am not a soldier, but I suffer from complex PTSD due to some, well, really horrifying things in my life.Â
Â
I take my meds daily and I see my doctor once a week.
Â
PTSD is real, and I cannot even imagine the horror of what they have seen, and I am dealing with my own horror that I assume cannot compare.
Â
We cannot, in good conscience, have soldiers overseas to kill and be killed when we will not even allow many of them to have a beer in the very country they serve. Unreasonable.
Â
Let's not even mention those who are in a constant panic about family, children, SURVIVING.
Â
We need to do better for our soldiers. Period.
Â
Â
@Melissa Angevine "I am not a soldier"
Â
Yet you still interject your garbage. Move along keyboard commando.
 @Common Sense OMG you are are so cruelÂ
hi
 @futhi151 Hi!
Â
Funny the media never mentions the majority of suicides are from soldiers who have never deployed.
 @Common Sense Funny how little common sense you know.
 @Common Sense Funny, that is not really relevant to the story.
The problem with PTSD is the symptoms could pop up 30 years later, after some event triggers some memories. I know. Been there done that. The VA has got quite a challenge here. They have been good to me.
@Hagar yep your right! everything hunky doory and then wam. Best of luck to you.
 @Hagar I agree, have not explored the VA.Â