Ten soldiers from Fort Carson’s 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team have been arrested on charges of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter in Colorado Springs since 2006. These soldiers have fought in some of the bloodiest places in Iraq, and when they came home toColorado Springs suffering the emotional wounds of combat, some kept killing. Kenneth Eastridge, one of the infantry soldiers, says, “The Army pounds in into your head until it is instinct: Kill everybody, kill everybody.” Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is like a roadside bomb.
The symptoms can remain hidden for months, then explode. Davida Hoffman, a counselor of a private clinic that treats Carson soldiers, says, “The more combat soldiers see, the more problems they will have. The more problems soldiers have, the more problems Colorado Springs has.”
Title:Â Casualties of War, Part I: The hell of war comes home
Author: Dave Philipps,Source:Â The Gazette, 7/24/2009http://www.gazette.com/articles/iframe-59065-eastridge-audio.html
Title: Casualties of War, Part II:Â Warning SignsAuthor: Dave Philipps,
Source:Â Â The Gazette, 7/24/2009http://www.gazette.com/articles/html-59091-http-gazette.html
Student Researcher: Jenni Schumann
Faculty Evaluator:Â Andrew RothSonoma State University