The battle within

A report by Erin Emery and David Olinger of The Denver Post shows that soldiers are being sent back to Afghanistan and Iraq despite the fact that they are battling both physical and mental ailments. "Facing demands unprecedented in the history of the all-volunteer force, the Army has deployed soldiers with slings and crutches and some who need machines to help keep them alive through the night. Thousands are taking pain, sleep or antidepressant medication, with sometimes deadly consequences." Defense Department spending on medication, such as narcotics and antidepressants, is soaring. Yet soldiers claim they are being medicated enough to be sent back into war while their illnesses are being ignored. Meanwhile, the suicide rate among soldiers is at a record high.