'Vietnam Syndrome' affecting IDF

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday November 15, 2002 14:54 by Blisett

War has other costs as well that are frequently NOT discussed until years after a conflict ends—the psychological devastation. While an American emmisary arrives to Meet with Prime Minister Sharon to discuss "conflict maintenance," (a new word for your lexicon of newsspeak), there are reports of a a new syndrome, Intifada Vet Syndrome, reported in Ma’ariv, a centrist newspaper.

Have you seen this on TV? Eitan Rabin reports:

"They were highly motivated and enlisted in the most elite units. They served in the IDF for three years and sometimes even more. They fought in the harshest battles of the Intifada, but they were also forced to deal with the Palestinian civilian population. Now, after they have been discharged, the difficulties, the personal crises, the instances of self-berating begin to come to the surface. The scope of the phenomenon is frightening: dozens of them went to the Far East as backpackers, where they came under the influence of drugs, including some instances of heroine and cocaine. A few tried to commit suicide or to hurt themselves….

"We received over 900 requests by parents with terrible stories. Stories about drugs, attempts at suicide, about emotional distress. We are talking about veterans of the most elite units such as Sayeret Matkal, the Naval Commando, Duvdevan, Duhifat.

"One of the central problems that crop up in the course of conversations with the veterans is the Intifada. ‘The soldiers cry, blame themselves for having abused Palestinians, cruelty, disgracing and humiliation. Now, after having been discharged, those sights return to them in their minds like a nightmare. Suddenly, the soldier, the combatant, who was called 'Rambo' in the army, goes to India, there he experiences a different reality of quiet and tranquility. When he returns he understands what he has done. He tries to escape reality, to smoke drugs, but he can't manage,’ said one of the doctors in the village. It is difficult to put one's finger precisely on the emotional damage caused. A high-ranking IDF officer said: ‘It isn't shell shock. It isn't post-trauma. It simply is a serious emotional crisis, and that is a real time-bomb.’