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Published: 2012-07-16 17:51:00
Updated: 2012-07-17 05:22:48

Wife says Army skimping on treating soldiers with PTSD


PTSD protest
PTSD protest
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An Army wife staged a personal protest along a busy Fayetteville thoroughfare on Monday, trying to draw attention to what she says is inadequate care by the Army of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The Army is not listening," said Krystal Reilly, as she sat at the edge of a Target parking lot along Skibo Road.

Reilly's husband, Staff Sgt. Charles Reilly, is a Special Forces soldier who has been deployed six times in the past decade. She said psychiatrists have diagnosed him with PTSD, and he's assigned to Fort Bragg's Warrior Transition Battalion, where soldiers recover from physical and mental wounds.

"Every day is a challenge. He has anxiety attacks. He has panic attacks," the 32-year-old mother of two said.

Krystal Reilly said her husband's superior officers have downplayed his threats to himself and his family. She said she believes that the Army doesn't want to pay the cost of caring for PTSD patients.

“They’re not wanting to spend the money, but my thing is, you’re going to spend the money," she said. "You sent them. They’re messed up because of war. Nobody ever said war was pretty.”

Army leaders in May ordered a comprehensive review of PTSD diagnoses after complaints that 40 percent of patients at a Washington Army post had their diagnoses reversed since 2007.

Complaints also emerged at Fort Bragg this year that wounded soldiers were accused of faking symptoms and were over-prescribed medication. A review found no serious problems.

Fort Bragg officials would not comment on Reilly's protest, but they have said in the past that they take all complaints about treatment very seriously.

Reilly said she's not convinced the Army is doing all it can.

"I feel like we owe it to our soldiers," she said. "They need our support."


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Many of you are right that there are several soliders who claim to have PTSD for compenstion, but there are those who are not. The difference here is that these soliders are deploying on average every 18 to 24 for months. There deploys have last 12 to 18 months at a time. Just because some are not on the frontlines does not mean they are not affect by what is happening. They still here bombs and gunfire. My husband has served in the Army for 16 years and has deployed 4 times in the last 7 years and was diagnosis as having aniexty, depression and PTSD after his return in Feburary to Ft. Campbell.

This is a reminder on how important it is for leadership to disseminate / critical information to both / soldier/families alike on PTSD./ stand by our wounded soldiers not label them neg. Give them the medical care immediately,the longer you wait/ more damage can be done to the brain/the soldier/the family.The "Children" of combat soldiers are being diagnosed w/secondary PTSD not to mention the spouses. Like it or not PTSD is going to have its long term effects on our society.The scary part is you can't always see it,one person can't function/ next one may not be as noticeable.Fort Bragg is the second leading in suicides. Look at Womack Hosp. Home pg there is no suicide hotline or a behavioral site with links/numbers/hrs View Fort Campbell/FortHood..? Behavioral Health has been informed of the lack of user friendly info./when i asked questions on info for PTSD as a military spouse /the doctor routed me to a secretary to be told i was asking personal ques. not hey come in or call this

My dad was in WWII. Never came back with so called PTSD. Good friends of mine were in Vietnam (circumstances of what a couple of them went through I will leave out). Never came back with so called PTSD. I served 4 years with the 82nd Airborne division during the gulf war era. Never had PTSD.

Bottom line is that for most (not all because there are some soldiers with real problems) are using this bull to get disibility compensation.

The cases of PTSD are on the rise because it pays good. PTSD claims are a high because the VA are paying good disability checks and you can't prove someone does not have PTSD. If you notice the ones on Bragg claiming PTSD are not even from combat units,i.e. infantry they are more from support role.

Anytime you are dealing with a persons brain it is kinda difficult. Medication doesnt take away the horrible memories. Seems to me that this issue is more personal than anything else. Just what kind of treatment would be effective? What do they expect the army to do? More medication-more counseling? Do they even know what to do to treat this?

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