Clark urges more stress counseling for Middle East veterans

Clark urges more stress counseling for Middle East veterans Clark: "The Bush administration needs to get its priorities right and start taking care of our troops." Friday, May 12, 2006 By AP Writer via Gazette Online
DES MOINES, IA - Former Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark warned Friday that soldiers returning from the Middle East should get more help in coping with delayed stress symptoms.
The retired Army general and NATO commander joined Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, and veterans at a Statehouse ceremony to push for increased funding for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects nearly 20 percent of troops returning from Iraq.
"I've seen a lot of people in this administration wearing the American flag pin on their lapel," Clark said. "If you want to take credit for the American flag, and that's a flag that belongs to all of us, you better support the men and women who are serving."
Clark related his own story of delayed stress surfacing years after he was wounded in the Vietnam War in 1970. It took nine years before he could purge himself of repressed feelings -- a revelation that came as he was shaving one morning, he said.
"I could see where I was just before I was wounded," Clark said. "I'm feeling anger and guilt that he shot me and I didn't shoot him. All of a sudden I finally got out of me what was inside me."
He said the war in Iraq has been particularly difficult because there aren't clear battle lines, and troops who are doing traditional support duty often find themselves in violent situations.
"They are not line soldiers but they are getting shot at," he said. "They are in a mess hall or working on vehicles when they're attacked."
During his two-day Iowa swing that started Friday, Clark was also campaigning for Boswell, who faces a stiff challenge from state Senate Republican President Jeff Lamberti, of Ankeny. Clark will also visit eastern Iowa to raise money for Democratic congressional candidates and appear with gubernatorial hopeful Mike Blouin.
Clark sought the Democratic presidential nomination in the last election cycle, and his appearance raised the issue of running again. Clark touts his military background, saying he would act firmly in the war on terror and would ensure that soldiers get the counseling they need.
Friday's event also allowed Boswell to underscore his own military background. He was in the Army for 20 years, and served two tours in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, returning with a string of decorations. Boswell argued that it's "absurd and unacceptable" to shortchange returning soldiers by offering broad counseling programs.
"Post-traumatic disorder is the real thing," Boswell said.
"We must address the human cost of war. Once you get back from the battlefield, the battle is not over."