July 22, 2009, Washington, DC - The cluster of murders and suicides at Fort Carson represents another tragic example of the Army's failure to provide prompt access to high-quality mental health care to our service members sent repeatedly to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  The Army review at Fort Carson is woefully incomplete – a whitewash.

Veterans for Common Sense believes the Army must do more to provide medical exams and care to our soldiers, hire more mental health professionals, reduce stigma, and reprimand the Army leaders who failed to provide life-saving medical care.

While the Army sets up dozens of laudable small pilot programs to address the issue of post traumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse, the Army still fails to take the most important step to identify at-risk soldiers.  The military is not conducting universal mandatory medical exams of soldiers that are required before and after every deployment under the 1997 Force Health Protection law (Public Law 105-85).

VCS urges the Army to take steps now in order to reduce the suicide and murder crisis at Fort Carson and throughout the military.  Here are details about what VCS believes what can and must be done now on the national level. 

Provide Medical Exams

Soldiers in urgent need of mental healthcare are still not getting high-quality and prompt medical care.  The murders and suicides continue throughout the Army in large part because Army leaders failed to fully implement the 1997 Force Protection Act that requires pre- and post-deployment medical exams for all soldiers.   Mandatory and universal exams reduce stigma by ending the current practice where soldiers must publicly and individually seek mental healthcare.  Mandatory and universal exams also result in a better, stronger Army by identifying physical and mental conditions earlier, when medical treatment is more effective and less expensive.

Reprimand Failed Army Leaders

VCS urges the Secretary of the Army to hold accountable those officers who failed to provide medical care to soldiers.  We are disappointed that Army Lieutenant General Eric Schoomaker, the Army’s Surgeon General, refused to take action after his report documented discrimination against soldiers and efforts to block access to mental healthcare.  Schoomaker said, "While the report found fault with commanders, particularly in failing to get help for soldiers for drug abuse and mental illness, the study itself will not result in any disciplinary action.”  VCS urges Congress to hold oversight hearings where soldiers, veterans, family members, and Fort Carson leaders are placed under oath so all the salient facts are revealed.  Our goal is to make sure the leadership failures that contributed to the murders and suicides - discriminating aginst soldiers and blocking their access to healthcare - are avoided.

Additional Observations About Fort Carson Report

While the Army said there was "no single risk factor" to predict murder and suicide among Iraq War soldiers, the Army repeatedly tried to downplay the role of the Iraq War itself.  A VCS review of the Army’s Fort Carson report identified at least eight risk factors for murder and suicide associated (in whole or in part) with the Iraq War:

1. Intense and sustained combat among Iraq War soldiers
2. Short dwell times (breaks) between deployments for Iraq War soldiers
3. Stigma and discrimination against Iraq War soldiers who sought mental healthcare
4. Lack of referrals by commanders for Iraq War soldiers with mental health symptoms
5. Lowered standards for new Army recruits due to widespread and intense unpopularity of Iraq War
6. Similar military unit, as all were stationed at Fort Carson
7. Similar military occupational specialty (job duties) as combat infantry
8. Criminal behavior among Iraq War soldiers after returning from combat - the Army admited an increase in arrests nationwide since the Iraq War began in 2003, a higher rate of arrests at Fort Carson, and a tragic three-fold increase in rapes at Fort Carson.