War Fatigue: U.S. Miltary Must Be More Vigilant

A military psychiatrist whose job was to heal the hearts of soldiers randomly shot and killed thirteen of his fellow troops. What could have led him to do this? The details on the circumstances are not clear, but the tragedy that occurred in the army base of Fort Hood, Texas, causes one to feel the current war fatigue in America, which has been continuously fighting since the twin terror attacks of 2001.

The detained suspect, Nadal Malik Hasan (39), is a Muslim Arab, and thus has been harassed on the base. However the said suspect has criticized the military deployment in Afghanistan, and has made favorable statements on the internet regarding the strategic advantages of terrorist suicide bombing. His colleagues would naturally react sharply against him.

America is not expressly against Muslims and Islam. President Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, has Muslim relatives himself. But although Muslims in general are not considered to be America’s enemies, soldiers who go to Iraq and Afghanistan mainly end up fighting Islamic combatants.

The said suspect must have heard about the battlefield from military patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When he found out that he was being sent to the Iraq front line, the said suspect grew troubled and hired a lawyer to contest the deployment order.

While it may be true that he killed thirteen people indiscriminately, taking life is an unforgivable offense. Now, the question is whether this is an isolated event. On May of this year, there was a similar shooting at the American base in Baghdad which caused five deaths. According to an association for returning soldiers, there have been five murder cases with purposeful intent in Iraq.

Regarding the May incident, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mullen has pointed out many times the stresses of being deployed to a front. With eight years of fighting in Afghanistan in addition to the garrisoning of Iraq from 2003 to midway through 2006, the burden on front line bases as well as those within the U.S. has been increasing.

The burdens keep on getting heavier. The National Military Establishment, which fills the role of replenishing the shortage of military personnel, has increased the length of the soldiers’ campaigning period from twelve to fifteen months. It has also shortened the rest period from two years to one. This comes at a time when the number of soldiers who have committed suicide is growing. It seems like America is beginning to descend into the dark atmosphere of the Vietnam War period.

One cannot help but sympathize with the soldiers who are suffering. The Obama administration too, having inherited two war fronts from the previous administration, is in a painful situation. Regardless of the legitimacy of the Iraq war, I cannot bring myself to derisively laugh at America, which continues to fight a difficult war.

It is up to America itself to reduce the burdens that come with its waging of war, because while other countries have contributed with their militaries and welfare programs, it is the U.S. military that will bear the main burden of fighting. In order to prevent future incidents like the one that just occurred, I am counting on the U.S. military to improve its vigilance.