Troop Troubles
I'm seeing some good enterprise reporting lately that looks at problems facing U.S. troops. In today's
Chicago Sun-Times,
"Troops Do Double Duty in Gangs" by
Frank Main
explores how street gangs have infiltrated the military, robbing
people, dealing drugs and spreading graffiti around Iraq and U.S. bases.
In Sunday's Hartford Courant,
Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman
explain why suicide rates among U.S. troops in Iraq is rising. They
describe how fewer than 1 in 300 service members see a mental health
professional before shipping out, and how some are kept on the front
lines while on strong anti-depressants. Chedekel's and Kauffman's
"Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight" also details how some soldiers are sent back to Iraq despite suffering from post-traumatic stress.
And
"An Army of One Wrong Recruit" by
Michelle Roberts of
The Oregonian
tells how Army recruiters in Portland enlisted an 18-year-old autistic
man despite his family's objections. Because of Roberts' reporting, the
Army is investigating whether recruiters improperly concealed Jared's
autism, which should have made him ineligible for service.
Thanks to Andrew Larson and Brian Summers for the tips.