Summary: “Sleep deprivation during military deployment is archaic, harmful and institutionally unavoidable. It may aggravate, and even cause, PTSD in veterans returning from combat. Why’s it taking so long for military brass to take action?” – Peter S. Green, journalist Award-winning journalist Peter S. Green investigated sleep deprivation during military deployment and how “circadian scarring” among our troops may aggravate, and even cause, PTSD in veterans returning from combat. Green asks, “Why is it taking so long for military brass to take action?” During today’s show our guest, Miguel Reece, Retired US Air Force Major and former VA civil servant, will address this and other related issues that are adversely affecting our servicemen and servicewomen while on and returning from deployment. A case study: U.S. Army Corporal Sean Bedingfield Through the long summer of 2008, U.S. Army Corporal Sean Bedingfield led a fire team at a dust-choked combat operations post in the craggy terrain of Kunar province in northeastern Afghanistan. His platoon was five men short of its full 32-person complement, and would catch incoming fire several times a day from Taliban insurgents in the surrounding hills. Full-day patrols sent Bedingfield and his squad 3,000 feet or more up into the mountains, and another 3,000 feet back down to their camp. At night, they stood watch to ward off insurgents. Often, they’d double-staff the watchtowers to ensure no one fell asleep. “If one guy dozed, the other’s job was to slap him around to wake him up,” Bedingfield said. This special report is available for free as a download as a PDF or an ebook on the iTunes store. (Click here: http://j.mp/1kINjI8.)
