-In an interview broadcast this morning on WNYC, Mark Benjamin, national correspondent for Salon.com, discredits an Army report which found that no manipulation of PTSD diagnoses at Fort Carson, Colorado. It seems appropriate to start by removing what is, on its, face, a strong piece of evidence – the Army’s self-exoneration. In the WNYC interview, Benjamin points out that:
- What was released was a “summary” of an “informal” investigation
- The summary report was itself heavily redacted, thus greatly reducing its persuasive value.
- It ignored a tape recording supporting the underlying claim, earlier reported by Benjamin and Michael de Yoanna
In other words, had the investigation been conducted by an inspector general, outside of the chain of command, offered some protection to witnesses concerned about retaliation, and at least took account of the original recording – the investigation’s conclusion(s) would be more credible for a number of reasons: (1) absence of a motive to fabricate, or a motive to ignore, evidence; (2) Offered witnesses – essentially whistle-blowers – some protection; and (3) didn’t obviously ignore relevant and facially credible evidence.
“I believe that I did have PTSD” is the latest piece in a series by Mark Benjamin and Michael de Yoanna on Salon.com.
Links to their earlier pieces can be found at the bottom of the page.
PTSD Resources
At the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Overview – Military Benefits from Military.com