An experienced combat veteran, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and expert in working with military and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Chris Sorrentino, a licensed professional counselor, Executive Director of Kansas City Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and President of Help4VetsPTSD, a non-profit dedicated to military and veterans with PTSD, discusses combat stress with ABC News affiliate:
Sorrentino went on to describe his sorrow for the families of the 16 Afghanis allegedly killed by a US solider and for the soldier's family. "My heart and prayers go out to the families of the victims, the soldier, and the Afghani people for their unimaginable losses" Sorrentino told Maria Antonia via Skype this afternoon. LtCol Sorrentino happened to be out of the area at the time, working with re-deploying soldiers at an undisclosed location.
"The military is a microcosm of American society", Sorrentino added, stating: "and the extremely unfortunate events that occurred in Panjwai district, a rural suburb of Kandahar and a traditional Taliban stronghold, are not at all indicative of the behavior of our brave, dedicated, selfless military personnel and should be considered an isolated event". Our deployed military are heroes and this incident should not reflect negatively on them in any way. It is understandable and warranted for the Afghan people to be horrified and upset about the attack, just as many American are, and justice will be served as the soldier's fate is determined in a court of law.
The facts have yet to be determined, but Sorrentino concluded "the negative stigma attached to mental health treatment in the military has existed for decades and will not, unfortunately, end anytime soon". "If the attacks were related to combat-related stress or other psychological issues, an environment more conducive to military members seeking treatment, rather than fearing reprisal or loss of a security clearance, could have potentially mitigated this threat ". LtCol Sorrentino asked President Obama to "end the negative stigma associated with military mental health care" in a question and answer session after January's State of the Union Address. Unfortunately, Obama ignored Colonel Sorrentino's pleas and failed to respond to his question.
Title: CombatCounselor Describes War-Induced Stress On Kansas City TV Station KMBC
Key Words: KMBC, TV, Kansas City, MO, MIsouri, combatcounselor, combat, counselor, war, induced, stress, PTSD. PTS, trauma, disorder, television,
