Since 2009, more than 22,000 soldiers have been discharged from the U.S. Army for ìmisconduct,î after they had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries and mental health disorders following their return home from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a National Public Radio report released in October last year. NPR and Colorado Public Radio conducted a joint investigation that included listening to ìhours of secret recordings,î reviewing ìhundreds of pages of confidential military documentsî and interviewing ìdozens of sources.îThe findings concluded that these service members were being discharged under ìless than honorableî conditions and were being deprived of health benefits, treatment for their mental health issues and even retirement — all part of an ìhonorable discharge.îThe report cited an investigation into the potential separation of a Fort Carson soldier, Eric James, who had served two tours in Iraq as a U.S. Army sniper. James had been considered for a ìmisconductî discharge because of a DUI he had received two years earlier. In 2014, James recorded his conversations with Army therapists and officers. Eventually, the Army investigated the potential misconduct charge and found that James had been mistreated by two therapists. However, the Army concluded that the problems James faced were not a systemic issue, but NPR and CPR found that the Army had not looked into other soldiersí allegations of mistreatment because of mental health diagnoses. A combat infantryman soldier from Fort Carson, who wished to remain anonymous, said he feels it is an insult to those who served in combat zones and might have been mentally affected from exposure to certain situations. ìIt doesnít mean that these soldiers are crazy or unfit to perform their duties; it simply means that our minds were programmed to perform certain tasks to a certain standard in order to adequately meet the demands that come with being in a war zone,î he said. ìOnce we return home, the mentality that we held in order to survive deployment does not just snap back into a ëIím home now, everything is OKí mode. Most of us are afraid to seek help for fear of reprisal from the commands, and many of us arenít willing to jeopardize our careers.î According to a November news release, when he heard concerns from veterans about soldiers being discharged for ìmisconductî after receiving service-connected behavioral health diagnoses, Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael F. Bennet joined Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and 10 other colleagues in calling for an investigation into the matter. Erin McCann, deputy press secretary for Bennet, said the senators are asking that the U.S. Army conduct a full Army Inspector General investigation to determine if there is a connection between the discharges and combat-related mental health issues.In December 2014, Bennet had already passed a bill requiring that the Government Accountability Office conduct a study to determine if service members were being discharged for reasons associated with post-traumatic stress syndrome, traumatic brain injuries or other mental health diagnoses. The study mandates also included evaluations on ìprotocols, training, counseling and treatmentsî currently in place to recognize and address mental health issues.†The NPR and CPR report prompted the request for a full U.S. Army Inspector General investigation.
