Lariam news 7

We have to wonder how long it will take us to learn the truth regarding the four Army wives killed at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Two Bragg soldiers killed their wives and then themselves; two others were charged with murdering their wives. Three of the soldiers were members of Special Operations units and had recently returned from Afghanistan, where they were given prescribed doses of Lariam, a controversial anti-malaria drug.

One of the military's earliest responses was to announce it would re-evaluate the post's family counseling program. A strong counseling program is an important component of the services provided for military families. Having such programs, however, doesn't mean the services will be used.

Getting counseling is typically viewed as a sign of weakness in the military. So, perhaps the question is if post counselors would be most effective if they taught wives to look out for dangerous warning signs of Lariam's side effects.

We still have no definitive answers to questions regarding the part Lariam might have played in three of the killings. But it is not news that Lariam -- in a small percentage of users -- triggers mental problems so severe it can lead to suicide. Other side-effects include
depression, psychosis and anxiety.

The military community, especially during the Vietnam era, became accustomed to combat-altered personalities, such as the one told by the young wife who woke up and found her husband gone. After an exhaustive search, she found him -- in the carport. He was lying in the backseat of the car with a gun so he could "protect the house."

Some soldiers came home and slept in closets, others refused to go in crowded shopping areas, and others cut the hedges in front of their homes because they were a perfect hiding place for the enemy.

Of the nearly 1 million combat troops who fought in Vietnam, nearly half suffered from some psychological problem, mental health officials say.

The post-traumatic stress suffered by female rape victims was legitimized when the same signs and symptoms were present in combat veterans, who were predominately male.

We learned the Persian Gulf war zone was a toxic nightmare. There were insecticides, pesticides, preventive medication given to the soldiers, and smoke from burning oil fields in Kuwait and Iraq. Also added to the mix were low levels of chemical and biological warfare
agents (chemicals and technology obtained from us in the 1980s when our countries were friendly) Iraq reportedly used on U.S. soldiers.

The nightmare continues for some Gulf War veterans who suffer from ailments that haven't officially been acknowledged. Sounds like Vietnam's Agent Orange disputes: in 1984, the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange and other defoliants paid $180 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by Vietnam veterans. Meanwhile, the military continues to study Agent Orange.

Couldn't Lariam have waited until we cleaned up after our other wars?