Doonesbury's take on the troubles of vets: A response from Garry Trudeau

While Tom Ricks is away from
his blog, he has selected a few of his favorite posts to re-run. We will be
posting a few every day until he returns. This originally ran on June 14, 2011.

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I asked the author of Doonesbury to respond to your comments
on his Sunday strip. Here it is:

By Garry Trudeau

Best Defense guest columnist

As I'm
old enough to recall the stereotypes that formed around Vietnam veterans, I'm
well aware of this danger. The purpose of my stories has been to participate in
the national conversation about the costs of war. JPWREL
and VICTOR
are correct that the majority of warriors return home without invisible wounds,
but it is by no means an "overwhelming" majority. There are an
estimated 600,000 veterans (out of 2.2 million who've served in OEF and OIF)
who are suffering from either stress disorders, MST, or the effects of TBI. The
proportion is considerably higher than in previous wars because of multiple
deployments and the aggregate number of consecutive days that participants are
in a high-conflict environment, thus in a rolling state of stress and
hyper-vigilance.



This is a substantial cohort whose continuing care represents a major challenge
to our country. I have tried to represent the sacrifices of the wounded -- both
physically and mentally -- across a broad continuum of affliction and recovery:
B.D., the amputee, who learns to manage his PTSD well enough to reach out to
Melissa, the helicopter mechanic, who recovers from her MST enough to actually
re-enlist; Leo, whose TBI leaves him with Broca's Aphasia, but whose resilience
propels him into community college, a job at a studio, and a healthy romantic
relationship; Ray, who recovered from physical injuries in the Gulf War, led a
normal life at home, only to endure multiple deployments in Iraq and
Afghanistan, leading to the collapse that recently sent him home. All different
journeys, all different outcomes.



War changes everyone, and most veterans can manage that change without become
impaired or dysfunctional. Their stories are important, too, but by focusing on
their less fortunate brothers and sisters, I mean to keep front and center the
sacrifices they have all made in our names.