Study: 20 Percent of Soldiers, 15 Percent of Marines in Iraq Suffering Mental Problems

This is an issue that receives little attention. Not only are our troops being killed or maimed by IEDs, but the stress arising from a brutal and confusing war are taking a toll. Although, war itself contributes largely to mental problems. Any human being would be greatly affected by watching their buddy being blown up next to them:

A recently released Pentagon mental health study of troops in Iraq found 45 percent of junior enlisted Army soldiers rated their unit's morale as low or very low. Twenty percent of soldiers and 15 percent of Marines were found to have a mental health problem, defined as anxiety, depression or acute stress.

Constant terror:

About two-thirds of those surveyed said they knew someone who had been killed or injured. More than three-quarters of soldiers and Marines said they had been in situations where they could have been killed or seriously injured.

Events that made them feel "intense fear, helplessness or horror," were described by nearly 40 percent.

Sending troops into a meat grinder, repeatedly, is going to have an impact on mental health:

Eleven percent of those deployed for the first time had a mental health problem, compared to 27 percent of those on repeat tours.

It also doesn't help our troops mental state when casualties continue to rise desite years of conflict:

A series of fatalities announced on Tuesday in Iraq saw the US military’s death toll rise to its highest monthly level in more than two years.