With Trump’s Border Plans Security And Surveillance Firms Eye Bigger Profits
“They’re exposed to the most gruesome things that you can think about that could happen on a battlefield,” Brown said. “They find mass graves they witness executions.”
One Air Force survey found that among analysts engaged in this kind of work, nearly one in five had witnessed a rape within the past year. Some airmen reported witnessing more than 100 incidents of rape or torture, according Lt. Col. Cameron Thurman, the wing’s surgeon.
“I mean that’s warfare it’s clear and simple, and it’s in HDTV,” Brown said.
The airmen can’t just look away they’re supporting and often helping to protect U.S. troops and their allies on the ground by watching out for threats, and guiding aircraft and drone pilots.
Thurman says observing the horrors of war, over and over again even from a distance carries a heavy burden.
The recruiter told me that this was like working with photography. But … it’s not.
Staff Sgt. Kimi
“You don’t need a fancy study to tell you that watching someone beheaded, or skinned alive, or tortured to death, is gonna have an impact on you as a human being,” Thurman said. “Everybody understands that. What was not widely understood is the level of exposure that our wing has to that type of incident. We see it all.”
“There are some things you just can’t unsee,” Thurman said.
“Their job is to decide who on that battlefield gets blown up, and who on that battlefield gets protected,” Thurman said.
Understand The Taliban Takeover In Afghanistan
Who are the Taliban?The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Heres more on their origin story and their record as rulers.
Who are the Taliban leaders?These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. Little is known about them or how they plan to govern, including whether they will be as tolerant as they claim to be. One spokesman told The Times that the group wanted to forget its past, but that there would be some restrictions.
How did the Taliban gain control?See how the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in a few months, and read about how their strategy enabled them to do so.
What happens to the women of Afghanistan?The last time the Taliban were in power, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school. Afghan women have made many gains since the Taliban were toppled, but now they fear that ground may be lost. Taliban officials are trying to reassure women that things will be different, but there are signs that, at least in some areas, they have begun to reimpose the old order.
The increasing use of remotely piloted aircraft for war fighting as well as humanitarian relief should prompt increased surveillance, she said.
The Evolution Of Combat: How A New Generation Of Pilots Service Connect For Ptsd
One of the great things about working for is that we all love to share stories. When you get a group of people together from our VA Department for a meeting, many members of our staff will share stories about unique cases they came across while doing reviews, or interacting with clients. Recently during a meeting, Kris, one of our Claim File Review Specialists, shared something that really surprised me. With June being PTSD awareness month I thought this would be a great time to share.
Though I have been working with VA Disability for over five years, and I know that PTSD stressors can come from many situations, Im still guilty of thinking of Boots on Ground Combat when I hear a PTSD stressor. Its because I encounter so many Veterans who have served in combat in person. It never crossed my mind that a Veteran, who never stepped foot in country, could have a combat stressor. However, that is exactly what was brought up during our most recent meeting.
Technology is changing war constantly. Within the past decade weve seen the emergence of drones alter the way our troops fight from the sky. Drones can be armed with bombs, and they can be used to combat enemies from half a world away.
Yes, it turns out that a Veteran who never left the country can service connect for PTSD due to a combat stressor. I think that as time goes on, we will see a lot more drone pilots file claims for PTSD.
- United Center | 500 Virginia St. E. Ste. 710
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Prevalence Ptsd In The Military
The prevalence of PTSD in the military, across all branches of service, depends in part on where and when a soldier served, including the following:
- Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom: Between 11 and 20 percent of veterans.
- Gulf War: About 12 percent of veterans
- Vietnam War: Studies suggest about 15 percent of veterans, yet its estimated that about 30 percent have had PTSD in their lifetime.4
The Veterans Administration has now ranked the disorder as the fourth most frequent disability connected with military service. While studies have shown that enlisted military members are twice as likely to report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, many officers also experience the anxiety disorder after wartime experiences.
Do You Have To Be Smart To Be A Military Pilot
Navy and Marine pilots must also undergo the Aviation Selection Test Battery and score among the highest. If youre smart enough, strong enough, and have good enough eyes, then you just might be selected to be begin the training to become a fighter pilot. Thats right your journey is just beginning.
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Is Being An Airforce Pilot Dangerous
The results show that three aircraft have a probability > 20% of one fatality occurring. However, the results also show that fighter pilots are not the only ones who face a constant risk transport and training aircraft also presented a high probability of accidents or fatalities, showing how risky military aviation is.
From Lethal Force To Having Dinner With The Kids
As more research was conducted on drone pilots, two complementary causal factors were proposed.
First, even though the pilot is typically physically distant from the battle, sometimes in entirely different continents, they are “informationally close” to their targets.
A pilot might have a target under surveillance for days or weeks before they launch their attack. As such, they see their targets and get a sense of them as a person.
They will see their targets eating and spending time with family and friends. Then, after conducting their attack, the drone pilot is often expected to do a battle damage assessment, to see if the target has been killed.
Moreover, such events can produce very importance intelligence on the target for example, who goes to the body? Who takes care of the burial? How do family members react?
Couple this with the familiarity that the drone pilot might have developed through long-term surveillance, and the target becomes an informationally rich human, rather than simply a blip on a screen.
Often a pilot is much closer to the target informationally than a traditional pilot.
Second to this, the pilot can experience significant moral dissonance. Like a sniper, they are typically under no direct threat from their target.
Posing a threat to someone is often seen as a moral requirement in order for a solider to use lethal force against a target.
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Finding Ptsd Treatment For Air Force Veterans
If you are experiencing PTSD symptoms related to deployment or service in the Air Force, targeted treatments can help alleviate and in many cases, fully resolve the collective fallout of wartime trauma. PTSD treatment approaches include dedicated and group therapy sessions, prescription drug therapies, EMDR, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Substance abuse treatment for those who have developed addictions as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder is also an important part of the process.
If you are a veteran or the loved one of a veteran, please call our 24-hour helpline to speak with an admissions coordinator about available treatment options. You are not alone. Call us now at .
1 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder . Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 6 July 2018.
2 PTSD- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Air Force Medicine. Accessed Oct. 2018.
3 Munsey, Christopher. Women and War. Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association. Accessed Oct. 2018.
Can You Serve In The Us Military With Mental Illness
Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Verywell / Evan Polenghi
If you wish to join the U.S. military, be aware that people with current mood disorders or a history of certain mental illnesses cannot serve. The U.S. Department of Defense has a directive which provides a detailed list of the mental health conditions that prevent a person from being in the armed services.
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High Speed Aircraft Injuries For Veteran Pilots
High speed aircraft, such fighter jets and other jet-type aircraft, can lead to serious injuries in the neck and cervical spine. It is well documented that G-Forces affect the spine and can accelerate the progression of degenerative spinal disease. Pilots in the military will sometimes start to show degenerative discs in their cervical spine similar to that of the elderly.
Injuries or disabilities in the cervical region of the spine are common amongst aviators who are subject to high-performance flying.
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Psychiatrist Dr. Norman Rosenthal says that PTSD is caused by over-activity in the “sympathetic nervous system.”
“The hyper-vigilance, the flashbacks, the repetitive, painful thoughts, these are signs that the sympathetic nervous system is overactive,” he said.
While prescription medicines are common for the treatment of PTSD, psychiatrists like Rosenthal are now recommending something called Transcendental Meditation to treat the condition.
TM involves sitting down twice a day for 20 minutes and envisioning a specific word or sound assigned by the psychiatrist. Eventually, practitioners move into “transcendence,” or a quiet state of mind.
“All of a sudden you slip into a space that perhaps you’ve never ever been to before,” said Rosenthal. “That turns out to be very, very powerful.”
Brain imaging of TM practitioners shows that those who practice regularly have more alpha rhythms, the slow brain waves that are associated with less stress. Another study found that veterans had a 50 percent reduction in PTSD symptoms after eight weeks of regular practice.
For Yellin, TM has been changing his life since 1975.
“TM allowed me to go deep into myself, to have a calmness about me and my life changed dramatically,” he said.
Yellin is committed to helping other veterans find peace through TM. He is part of Operation Warrior Wellness, a David Lynch-sponsored organization that aims to bring TM to veterans, military personnel and their families.
“I found a pure purpose in life again.”
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Possible Accidents That Could Lead To Ptsd In Aviators
Veterans who served in aviation could have been exposed to a wide array of traumatic experiences in service that may cause PTSD. As long as the Veteran can prove that the PTSD was caused by military service, they are entitled to disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs .
Aviators who were in a near missile strike may develop PTSD due to the incident. Coming so close to a near death experience is sufficient trauma to cause mental health problems in the future.
Another common occurrence for aviators that could lead to PTSD is being fired upon by ground fire. Much like a near missile strike, this direct combat experience could cause a person to develop PTSD.
Transporting wounded or deceased servicemembers in a helicopter is also traumatic enough to cause PTSD.
Ptsd Is A Big Problem For American Drone Operators But Not For Israeli Ones
In an IDF survey of its drone operators, signs of PTSD were scant, but the more they stayed on, stress started to take its toll
They can reach anywhere of interest to the Israeli military, like the Gaza Strip or Lebanon. According to reports abroad, that is how they take part in aerial attacks that kill armed militants but also civilians. They are given commands from a medium-size trailer at Palmahim base, and the ones who control them are known as remote control drone operators.
Every little dot on the screen is a figure. Children and young people, they are a small figure, and that means the area is not clean. There is always the potential that there will be people, and in many cases, if you identify figures and then report them, they say cease fire. The attack wont be carried out. Many officers are familiar with this description, given by an Israel Air Force officer.
The hum of a drone has earned a nickname in Arabic, zanana. In Gaza, people say that this sound signals the coming of a war. The Air Force operates over 100 such unmanned vehicles, and Israel is considered one of the leaders in the field of drones. Air Force officials say drone flight hours increase from every year.
High rate of depression
Defending the country
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Effects On Service Members
While currently having mental health conditions or a history of a serious mental disorder technically prohibits military service, research data suggests that many are skirting the rules. A study published in 2014 found that 25% of non-deployed U.S. military members had some sort of mental disorder, including panic disorder, ADHD, or depression. Two-thirds of these had their conditions prior to enlisting.
The study also found that more than 11% of U.S. military enlistees had more than one disorder. Interestingly, intermittent explosive disorder was one of the most common conditions found.
How are people getting around the rules? It’s not entirely clear, but people find ways to circumvent the regulations, most in the vein of, “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
The problem lies not in the disregard for the rules, but in the risk to the person who enlists. For instance, in the 2014 study, enlistees who had mental disorders prior to enlisting were more likely to have difficulty performing their job. In addition, the rules make it unlikely that someone who develops a mental health condition in the military will seek appropriate help.
Rules for military pilots are even stricter than those for general armed forces enlistment.
Drone Pilots Suffer Ptsd Just Like Those In Combat
ByAgata Blaszczak-Boxe20 August 2014
Although drone operators may be far from the battlefield, they can still develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder , a new study shows.
About 1,000 United States Air Force drone operators took part in the study, and researchers found that 4.3 percent of them experienced moderate to severe PTSD. In comparison, between 10 and 18 percent of military personnel returning from deployment typically are diagnosed with PTSD, the researchers wrote.
“I would say that, even though the percentage is small, it is still a very important number, and something that we would want to take seriously so that we make sure that the folks that are performing their job are effectively screened for this condition and get the help that they need,” said study author Wayne Chappelle, a clinical psychologist who consults for the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
The percentage of drone operators in the study who had PTSD was lower than the percentage of people in the U.S. general population who have the condition, which is 8.7 percent, according to the 2013 data from the American Psychiatric Association cited in the study.
The drone operators in the study completed questionnaires that listed 17 symptoms characteristic of PTSD, such as recurring nightmares, intrusive thoughts, trouble falling asleep and difficulty concentrating.
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Do Drone Pilots Get Ptsd
Tim Davies is a flying instructor, public speaker and aviation consultant. He is also the author of the fastjetperformance.com blog, where, among various other things, he discusses the controversial topic of pilots mental wellbeing. He agreed to talk with AeroTime about how active duty pilots cope with mental health issues, the PTSD in drone operators and what the future holds for him. This is part two of our talk, stay tuned for the ultimate part next week.
In one of your blog entries you describe one source of stress and anxiety like this:
There is another form of stress that comes from being there but not being there. It comes from being unable to do anything to help, being unable to retaliate against an attack. It comes from the unfairness of it all and the loss of trust in your ability to make a difference.
These words had me thinking about PTSD cases in drone pilots. Recent research has revealed that drone operators have very high PTSD levels, despite the fact that they do not physically go to war zones or experience an actual danger. Do you think its comparable to PTSD experienced by military pilots?
The problem with drone operators is that one minute they are flying a drone they might be sat in America, but they are flying a drone over the Middle East. And when their shift finishes, they get in their car and they go home. Now, this can be very deceptive. You have this contrast between the operation and the domestic experience of life.