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Dozy Vonshitzhispants
9 hours ago
Showing posts with label US Soldiers In Iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Soldiers In Iraq. Show all posts
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Friday, June 5, 2009
Soldier Suicide: Army Inspector General - Use of unlicensed psychologists in Iraq did not violate Army regulations (but does now!)
Three weeks before the soldier's death, an unlicensed psychologist asked by the soldier's captain to evaluate him, said in a report that Scheuerman was "capable of claiming mental illness" to manipulate superiors and sent him back to his unit.Meanwhile, the Army inspector general says the father's complaints are unfounded...
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Scheuerman's behavior raised enough alarms that when a call came over the unit's radios that there had been a death, one soldier told investigators he immediately knew who it was who had died.
"The premise that someone at (Medical Command) made the decision to deploy providers regardless of their licensure is without merit," the investigation said."
HOWEVER, "The military changed its policy in 2006 and no longer deploys practitioners without a license"
Too bad this soldier killed himself in 2005.
Report: Dad's complaints about GI's care unfounded
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
June 5 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — The father of a soldier who committed suicide in Iraq says he was angry and discouraged that a military inspector general's investigation into the use of unlicensed psychologists in Iraq found the practice did not violate Army regulations.
The investigation was instigated by a complaint from Chris Scheuerman, of Sanford, N.C., father of Pfc. Jason Scheuerman, 20, who was found dead in his barracks in Iraq in 2005.
Three weeks before the soldier's death, an unlicensed psychologist asked by the soldier's captain to evaluate him, said in a report that Scheuerman was "capable of claiming mental illness" to manipulate superiors and sent him back to his unit.In a telephone interview on Thursday, Chris Scheuerman said military medical commanders "absolutely" should've known better than to send unlicensed psychologists to war.
"Any reasonable person would know that the worst place to train a psychologist would be in a combat environment," said Scheuerman, a former Army master sergeant who served in the Special Forces.
A copy of the Army Medical Command's inspector general's investigation, completed in November, was obtained by The Associated Press using a Freedom of Information Act request.
Prior to a change in policy in 2006, it was a common practice in Iraq for the military to deploy unlicensed providers with the stipulation that they work under supervision. The policy was similar to that in civilian settings, but was changed after the military determined supervision was difficult to do in a combat setting.Scheuerman's father said the then-unlicensed psychologist who treated his son should never have been in a position to do so, and is culpable in his son's death.
The father also complained that a top medical officer, Col. Elspeth Ritchie, who served as the psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, knew of the provider's qualifications, and failed to take corrective action after his son's death.
Defense Department rules require a "doctoral level" health care provider to evaluate a soldier who is believed to be at risk for suicide.
The psychologist in Scheuerman's case, then-Army Capt. Chris Hansen, whose report also said Scheuerman should be taken seriously if he acted depressed again, received his doctoral degree in 2007 and his license in 2008, in Alabama.
It is not clear whether Hansen was supervised.
Chris Scheuerman is seeking to have Hansen's license revoked. The IG, however, determined the father's complaints were unfounded.
"The premise that someone at (Medical Command) made the decision to deploy providers regardless of their licensure is without merit," the investigation said.
Ritchie and Hansen, who is currently stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., were unavailable for comment, said Lt. Col. George Wright, an Army spokesman. He said in an e-mail that the Army has taken appropriate actions against individuals involved in the matter.
"We continue to be concerned about suicides, and are increasing our efforts to reduce this tragic occurrence," Wright said. "We grieve the loss of every soldier, no matter what the cause."
At least 211 soldiers have taken their lives while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, while others have committed suicide after returning home. The Army had the highest rate of suicides on record last year.
Scheuerman's behavior raised enough alarms that when a call came over the unit's radios that there had been a death, one soldier told investigators he immediately knew who it was who had died.
A separate investigation into the soldier's death last year by the Army inspector general determined that "military-related issues" were a factor in his suicide. It also said personal issues may have contributed.
Source: Associated Press via Seattle Post Intelligencer
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Same Old Song And (Dehumanization) Dance - From 'Charlie' to 'Haji' - ISN Security Watch
"The more stupid shit we do, like shooting up the Koran, the longer we'll be in this country," --Master Sergeant Joseph Kather, US Army reservistLetters From Iraq: From 'Charlie' to 'Haji'
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Military officials say the soldier who had fired at the Muslim holy book has been removed from Iraq, though ISN Security Watch was unable to confirm this independently.
Following target practice with the Koran, US military commanders fear inflamed anti-American sentiment as the pattern of disrespect continues.By Anna Badkhen in Baghdad for ISN Security Watch (27/05/08)
Before the US soldiers climbed into their Bradley fighting vehicles and took off for a two-hour street patrol in southwestern Baghdad, US Army Sergeant First Class Robert Keith had something to tell them.
"You go into a lot of houses," Keith told the young men standing in the dusty gravel before him. "Sometimes you're on your own. I hope you do the right thing."
He took a short pause and surveyed his troops, making sure they understood the importance of what he was about to say.
"If you pull out a Koran and shoot at it," he told them, "I'll kill you."
Keith was reacting to the latest incident that US military commanders here fear may inflame the anti-American sentiment in Iraq: A soldier from Keith's own 4-64 armor battalion of the Fourth Brigade, Third Infantry Division, used the Koran for target practice this month in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad suburb of Radwaniyah.
The shooting of Islam's holy book was the latest publicized illustration of US forces' disregard of Iraqi, and Muslim, culture. The most infamous episode of disrespect during the five-year war saw US soldiers torture Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison.
But degrading treatment of Iraqis is commonplace among US troops, who typically refer to traditional dishdasha shirts as "man-dresses," and use the word "haji" as a derogatory term to refer to Iraqis the way US soldiers in Vietnam called Viet Cong fighters "Charlie."...
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