US soldiers 'killed Afghan civilians for sport and collected fingers as trophies
Twelve American soldiers face charges over a secret "kill team" that allegedly blew up and shot Afghan civilians at random and collected their fingers as trophies.
Five of the soldiers are charged with murdering three Afghan men who were allegedly killed for sport in separate attacks this year. Seven others are accused of covering up the killings and assaulting a recruit who exposed the murders when he reported other abuses, including members of the unit smoking hashish stolen from civilians.
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The Army Times reported that a least one of the soldiers collected the fingers of the victims as souvenirs and that some of them posed for photographs with the bodies.
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"Our position is that his statements were incoherent, and taken while he was under a cocktail of drugs that shouldn't have been mixed," Waddington told the Seattle Times.- source
I realize this happens in every war, but I think we've come to believe (to a certain degree) that the modern American military has somehow overcome these pitfalls of combat; that tough talk and endless drone sorties would spare the soldiers from the reality of murderous war. Nothing could be further from the truth...
Psych meds spike among younger troops
Use of psychiatric medications among people ages 18 to 34 — mostly active-duty troops and their spouses — is rising at a significantly higher rate than other age groups in the military health care system, according to data newly released to Military Times.
Overall, the number of prescriptions filled for psychiatric medications rose 42 percent from 2005 to 2009 among Tricare beneficiaries in that age group, according to data provided by Tricare Management Activity in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
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Anti-depressants like Zoloft, Wellbutrin and Celexa account for slightly more than half of the prescriptions in this age group. But increasingly, young adults in the military and their spouses are turning to other types of psych meds to treat their mental health problems.
Prescriptions for stimulants, including amphetamines and drugs to treat attention-deficit disorders, more than doubled. And claims for anti-psychotics like Seroquel and Abilify nearly doubled from 2005 to 2009 among beneficiaries ages 18 to 34, the Tricare data show. Seroquel is often used to treat nightmares and sleeping problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The rise — and potential dangers — of psychiatric drug use is a growing concern for many military officials and doctors.
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•Anti-depressants remain the most commonly used type of psychiatric drug among Tricare beneficiaries, accounting for or half of all prescribed mental health medications.
•Anti--convulsants and anti-epileptics such as Topamax and Neurontin increased 56 percent among beneficiaries 18 to 34.
•Anti-anxiety medications such as Klonopin and Xanax climbed 72 percent among beneficiaries 18 to 34. - source