Devoted to the Insurance industry and all thing related

One of the many effects of war soldiers and civilians participating in the Iraq war must deal with are psychological injuries upon returning home.  If you’re lucky enough to have not only survived combat but also to have escaped with no physical harm chances are high that you’ll battle with psychological problems.  

An article in the LA Times delves into the issue of U.S. civilians returning from Iraq and having claims denied for problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  The article follows one person in particular, Samuel Walker, who “was a civilian recreation supervisor for KBR, the largest contractor in Iraq.”  Walker was feet away from a suicide bomber who blew himself up in a dining hall.  Needless to say Walker is having psychological problems now that he’s back home.

According to the article “an outdated workers’ compensation system” is in part to blame.

“Originally designed in the 1940s for contractors erecting bases in the South Pacific during World War II, the Defense Base Act was supposed to provide medical care for typical workplace injuries.

 

The act required contractors to purchase insurance for workers. Because the premiums were included in the price of the contracts, U.S. taxpayers paid them.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, however, ordinary civilians share the battlefield with professional soldiers.  Truck drivers are routinely struck by roadside bombs. Private security contractors engage in firefights with insurgents.

As a result, contractors deployed to these war zones often experience the same kind of trauma that produces psychological problems in soldiers.  Military surveys estimate that 15% to 20% of soldiers in Iraq show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, a debilitating condition often attributed to witnessing or participating in violence.”

Another travesty in a long line of travesties that this country will have to deal with for decades to come once this war is finally over.