WOMEN AT WAR

'I Was Shell Shocked'

Preliminary research indicates that women who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to suffer from posttraumatic-stress disorder than their male counterparts.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

By Martha Brant
Newsweek
Updated: 8:03 a.m. ET July 5, 2005

July 5 - Spc. Abbie Pickett doesn’t seem like a war-weary vet. The 23-year-old blonde from Darlington, Wis., has a sweet disposition and an even sweeter smile. But she has something in common with the most grizzled and disgruntled of combat veterans: posttraumatic-stress disorder (PTSD). July 4th is a day of dread not celebration for Pickett. She planned to spend it at the movies where she hoped she’d be safe from sudden, loud noises. Last year, the sound of the firecrackers sent her running for cover. .........................................

Women account for 11 percent of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department. Officially, they have no combat roles. But because there aren’t any front lines in Iraq, female troops are constantly in harm's way. No one has firm statistics on the rates of PTSD for women vets, but preliminary data gathered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) suggests that women not only get it more often than men but that their PTSD may be worse. Twenty years ago, only about 2 percent of the patients at VA hospitals and clinics were women. Today they account for 14 percent of patients. The organization is scrambling to handle the growing number of female patients with both physical and mental scars. Meanwhile, women vets are helping themselves by forming Internet groups like Sisters Bound by Honor and circulating a book about PTSD published by Patience Press for kids called "Why Is Mommy Like She Is?"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8471505/site/newsweek/

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I came across this piece while looking for information on the National Guard Troops suffering with PTSD. Of all the military involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marines are at the bottom of the list in sending their wounded for treatment. The National Guard troops however rank even lower. Once a guards "man" returns he/she is expected to just blend back into the polite world where they no longer shoot people or have bombs blowing up all around them. I am still seeking news reports on National Guard troops and will post them as soon as I can find them. We cannot forget about any of those serving. Women happen to be a large part of the forgotten but not here.

Kathie Costos
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