Deployment
Loneliness, fear, hatred in ranks
Lt. Col. Gwen Chiaramonte describes the state of mind of young U.S. soldiers in Iraq, under constant threat of random attacks, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD, harboring overwhelming hatred towards the Iraqi people, and the pressures of seeing their friends die. She was deployed to 1835th Medical Detachment Combat Stress Control team as a social worker in the American base in Balad, Iraq, to council traumatized combatants. The soldiers' anguish followed her home, even if she is a professional social worker.
Loneliness in the combat zone and at home defines the veterans' experience. They witness how the disciplined war routine and constant pressure about being hit by mortars whether in duty or in bed mould them into a different person, unable to trust even a child because he might be a suicide bomber. There is little support from the commanders leading the efforts in a war with no front line, as Specialist Whanja Brown explains about her deployment in Afghanistan.
In her interview, Whanja Brown also highlights the important point about the military discipline and treatment of the soldiers in combat zone. The feeling of urgency and anxiety caused by the overwhelming discipline, bullying and relentless stress stays with a soldier after their return from the war. The same feelings are evident in other interviewees’ stories as well.
Gwen became angry at the military for allowing bullying and harassment in the ranks, seeing the young people not having a way out, if they faced trouble. She could not understand why the soldiers are not given enough rest when on active duty. Gwen saw many American soldiers as ticking time bombs, who could go on the rampage with their loaded guns.
Soldiers feel responsible for each other. Gwen Chiaramonte and Linda Stanley explain they could not stop thinking of the soldiers who they saw losing their lives, wondering if they could have prevented their deaths.
American women near retirement age have also been serving in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gwen Chiaramonte, Sue Max and Mary-Ann Rich were among many reservists near retirement age, called up to deploy in the war because of active manpower shortages. They talk about the strains of "weekend warriors", reservists not accustomed to active duty in war fields, who were ordered at short notice to a combat zone for a year and thrown back to their civilian life as abruptly without any safety nets.
On top of this, the women have been sent in harm's way despite the fact that they were not officially called combat soldiers until recently. Already four years ago reservist Sue Max had to carry tens of thousands of dollars out of the compound in extremely dangerous conditions to pay Iraqi contractors for goods and services at the age of 59. The memories still chase her. The insecurity of the threat of indirect fire was another trauma that stayed with her after returning home.
One of the interviewed soldiers Daniela, did not make it to deployment, because she was raped by her fellow Marine on the base at home. She is suffering from PTSD and military sexual trauma.
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