Thread: US Troop Stress in Afghanistan Hits 5-Year High

US Troop Stress in Afghanistan Hits 5-Year High

Monday, 09 May 2011 09:27 AM
By Newsmax Wires

Even as demands build back home to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, a new military study finds that those troops are under increasing psychological stress, and their morale has hit the lowest point in five years. Veterans who have had three or more deployments are enduring the most strain, according to the study, which USA Today obtained. http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2 ... stan_n.htm

Five years ago, almost two-thirds of US troops had medium to high morale; now, fewere than half do. (Getty Images Photo)
One-third of those troops exhibit signs of psychological problems defined as stress, depression, or anxiety, USA Today quotes the study as finding.

Morale has taken a precipitous plunge since 2005, when 65.7 percent of the troops said they had medium, high, or very high moral. That figure now is 46.5 percent. About 1 in 7 soldiers — and 1 in 5 Marines — reported high or very high morale, according to the study report, which is based on a survey of soldiers and Marines last year.

"We're an Army that's in uncharted territory here," Gen. Peter Chiarelli told U.S. Today.

"We have never fought for this long with an all-volunteer force that's 1 percent of the population," said Chiarelli, an Army vice chief of staff who has focused on combat stress.

On the upside, the report found that the praise the troops have for their unit sergeants has never been higher as the United States approaches the 10th year of its longest war.

And Chiarelli holds out hope that psychological stress will subside. "I'm not worried about our ability to continue the fight," Chiarelli told USA Today. "Folks who are coming home now are going to see that they're not going back for 24 months. And that hasn't been the way it's been for 10 years."

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-tro ... /id/395640

Rasmussen Poll: 56% Want to Bring Troops Home From Afghanistan

Monday, 09 May 2011 11:52 AM
By Newsmax Wires

Voters feel more strongly than ever that U.S. troops should be brought home from Afghanistan right away or a timetable should be set to bring them back within a year. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35 percent of likely U.S. voters now favor the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the highest level of support to date. Just over 20 percent more support the establishment of a firm timetable to bring the troops home within a year.

The combined total of 56 percent is up four points from the beginning of March, up 13 points from 43 percent from September, and up 19 points from September 2009.

Thirty percent of voters in the survey of 1,000 U.S. voters on May 5 and 6 still oppose the creation of any kind of timetable for withdrawal, and 15 percent remain undecided.

Members of President Barack Obama’s party remain the strongest supporters of bringing the troops home, with 70 percent of Democrats favoring either immediate withdrawal or the creation of a firm timetable for withdrawal within a year. Sharing that view are most unaffiliated voters, at 54 percent and a growing number of Republicans, at 42 percent.

This is the first Rasmussen Reports survey on Afghanistan since the killing of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the al-Qaida terrorist organization. President George Bush launched the war against Afghanistan in October 2001 because the Afghani government continued to harbor al-Qaida after the 9/11 terorrist attacks.

Afghanistan is now America’s longest-running war. Full withdrawal of U.S. troops is expected to take until 2014.

In a related tally, 35 percent now say now say the U.S. mission in Afghanistan will be judged a success. That’s up from 27 percent in March but down from 42 percent in early December. Just 28 percent felt at that time that the United States has a clearly defined military mission in Afghanistan.

Just over one-fourth continue to feel that the mission in Afghanistan will be seen as a failure, down 16 points from December. Nearly 40 percent are not sure how history will view the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Nearly half of voters still hold the position that the United States should have become involved in Afghanistan, down slightly from March, while 36 percent disagree and 17 percent are not sure.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Rasmus ... /id/395671

Pray for our troops. God Bless them