SOCORRO, New Mexico (STPNS) -- Battle Fatigue

In early November, an alcoholic soldier from Fort Carson in Colorado Springs checked into a private hospital for 30 days of detox and rehab. He felt suicidal. While there, this young Army grunt, back from Iraq, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed on Lamictal, Seroquel and Klonopin for anxiety, psychosis, bipolar and sleep disorders.

Halfway through his hospitalization, he was abruptly ordered back to Iraq. An Army substance abuse counselor told him, ?Tough it out. All of us like to drink.? 36 hours later, this heavily-medicated member of the 3rd Combat Brigade was redeployed, in violation of Army regulations. 3rd Combat Commander Major Harvinder Singh said, ?Every commander has a [troop level] goal, and you try to achieve that goal.?



Medical personnel in Kuwait observed our hapless soldier throughout December, again diagnosing him bi-polar with ?some paranoia and possible homicidal tendencies.?  

Commanders ordered him to the firing range twice, with live ammunition. Brigade surgeon Capt. Scot Tebo reported in an email obtained by The Denver Post: ?The soldier was given a ?no-weapon? profile. I have heard it [is] not being followed. ? He has not been doing well here.?

The soldier himself recalls that month: he isolated himself, had ?racing thoughts? and couldn?t keep still. ?I was burning my fingertips with cigarettes, just anything to keep my mind off things. I had homicidal thoughts. ? My chain of command wanted me [in] Iraq.? Finally, on New Year?s Eve, this shattered man was flown back to Fort Carson and is awaiting a medical discharge.

But That?s Not All

December 29, Master Sgt. Denny Nelson was also ordered back to Iraq from Fort Carson ? with a severely fractured leg and shredded tendons (from jumping on a trampoline at home). Doctors declared he couldn?t run or carry 20 pounds and recommended he not go.  Overruled. Sgt. Nelson, with a Bronze Star and 19 years? service, was redeployed. Army physicians in Kuwait had a cow!  

?This soldier should NOT have left [the U.S.] ? He is not mission-capable and his current condition is a risk to ? himself and his unit.?

Again Capt. Tebo admitted: ?We have been having issues reaching ?deployable strength? and thus have been taking along some borderline soldiers who we would otherwise have left behind for continued treatment.? Indeed. Sgt. Nelson was told his duty would be the light supervision of 52 medically-unfit soldiers recovering in Kuwait. When Nelson got there (on crutches), he found that all 52 had been returned to the front lines.

Denny Nelson was shipped back to the States a week after redeploying. ?The only reason I got back safe is because I?m an E-8. If I was a private or a specialist, I guarantee you, I?d be in Iraq.?  

He warned of ?going in? physically or mentally impaired: ?I?d become a liability to everybody. ? I can?t look out for myself. Now I?ve got soldiers worrying about my welfare instead of their own.?

Colorado?s Fort Carson was at the center of a firestorm of congressional hearings last year concerning alleged shoddy medical treatment for soldiers returned from Iraq.

Veterans for Common Sense and The Denver Post  

Beyond Recycling

By Rosa Maricich

Go Green this Valentine?s Day!

Flowers, chocolates, romantic gestures.

How can the lovely things we give to our sweethearts give back both to the planet and to those who craft those gifts?

The floral industry is the most pesticide-intensive in all of agriculture. Not only can production of commercial flowers seriously pollute the environment; field workers may be exposed to the perils of poisons while earning poverty wages. When tested for pesticide residue, store-bought flowers often register high in neurotoxins.

And nothing says ?I love you? like neurotoxins! Consider instead giving an organically-grown bouquet, or a live tree or shrub that can be planted in spring. As always, finding a local source is preferable, but if the season prohibits this, the online selections are great at www.organicbouquet.com and www.californiaorganicflowers.com.

The chocolate trade is another culprit of environmental degradation, poor working conditions and child labor. Yet a traditional, shade-grown cacao farm actually benefits the ecosystem, providing a win-win situation for the planet and your beloved. It?s likely that your local grocery carries some brand of shade-grown, fair-trade chocolate such as found at dagobachocolate.com or shop.equalexchange.com.

Choosing a token of affection for your Valentine is the perfect opportunity to show love and compassion in a broader sense as well. Support local cottage industry, or choose handicrafts that celebrate and sustain artisans in developing nations as they lift themselves out of poverty. Excellent choices can be found at tenthousandvillages. com, brighthope.com and novica.com. For conflict-free diamond jewelry, see www.brilliantearth.com.

And keep these suggestions in mind for the upcoming springtime holidays (Easter, Mother?s Day), as well. Love knows no bounds, and with this Valentine?s Day gift guide, neither will your creativity and compassion.

Kathryn Albrecht worked in New Mexico libraries for two dozen years and daughter Rosa, a ?green building? designer, was raised in Taos.