More than 1/3 of the US troops in Iraq says torture is acceptable

[HoreTore]

Well, removing that extreme macho culture would be step one then, I guess. When I think back, I can't think of more than 2 of my officers who wasn't like that, a rookie sergeant and my first captain...

Removing it would do wonders on other fields too...

[Redleg]

Well, removing that extreme macho culture would be step one then, I guess. When I think back, I can't think of more than 2 of my officers who wasn't like that, a rookie sergeant and my first captain...

Removing it would do wonders on other fields too...

Again it takes a certain attitude to do what is an extremely dangerous job, regardless if you serve in peace or war. Avoiding mental health is not an extreme macho culture defense against what is even precieved in the civil world as a weakness.

And before you begin to go on a tangent about mental health not being seen as a weakness in the everyday culture - my wife is bi-polar, and I see it on a daily basis, especially from those who have no concept on what mental health is about. So criticising the military on this aspect is misplaced - its a society issue at large. The military is a microism of the real issue of mental health.

So what we have so far is that the military in the United States is at least attempting to study the issue, has written a report on it, released it for public consumption, and the media has written a story about it. Unfortunately as another has rightly pointed out, the media has skewed the story.

So no, I can not agree that removing the macho culture from the military is the right course of action. Educating all on the effects of stress on one's mental health is a good thing, but its not just a military one. THe military faces extreme stess, so do police, fireman, and a whole host of other professions. You ever wonder why police often isolate themselves from other civilians?