Speaking to a primarily military crowd in Pueblo, Colorado, 70-yer-old GOP nominee Donald Trump commented the obvious that some troops “can’t handle” the stresses war, referring to returning vets with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Trump’s remarks were 100% accurate, suggesting that some returning vets don’t develop PTSD but others do. Military officials keep stats rough estimates on the incidence of PTSD, averaging around 12% from Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq. While there are varying degrees of PTSD, around 88% of returning vets report no PTSD symptoms. Turning Trump’s words into the latest campaign gaffe, Vice President Joe Biden blasted Trump in at a Retired American Warriors event in Herndon, Va. “Where the hell is he from,” bellowed Biden. “No, no, no, no, this is deadly earnest,” said Biden blasting Trump for his comments.
Biden’s remarks feigned outrage over what anyone could see were simply Trump stating the facts about PTSD: Some people get it, some don’t. “When you talk about mental health problems,” Trump said. “When people come back from war and combat, and the see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over, and you’re strong and you can handle it. But a lot of people can’t handle it,” said Trump, stating the obvious about returning vets with or without PTSD. “My son [Beau] spent a year in Iraq, came back a highly decorated veteran, Bronz Star and a lot else. I’ve been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan 29 times,” said Biden, making Trump’s point that some vets get PTSD and other don’t. Biden wanted his audience to think that Trump insults veterans. Most returning vets don’t get the honors of Biden’s son or preferential treatment of politicians.
Military recruitment specialists don’t have tests to determine who’s more vulnerable to PTSD going into service. If accurate screening were developed, the voluntary military would have to exclude recruits based on expected vulnerabilities to PTSD. In saying “a lot of people can’t handle it,” Trump was saying the need for treatment once they return as a matter of top priority. Whatever suicide rates exist among returning vets, it’s difficult for mental health specialists to ascertain the nature of exposure during tours of duty to toxic stress vs. figuring out who had stress vulnerabilities before entering service. Biden deliberately took Trump’s remarks out of context to use them against him politically. Biden actually boasted about Beau’s service and his many trips to Afghanistan and Iraq. Returning to service without PTSD proves Trump’s point that some can handle it, some can’t.
Biden told the Retired Warriors crowd that 6,753 troops have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, since former President George W. Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after Sept. 11. When you consider Afghanistan’s still under siege by the Taliban nearly 15 years after the initial attack, it makes you wonder the advisability of the current U.S. mission. Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, killed by U.S. Special Forces May 1, 2011, escaped Afghanistan for Pakistan Dec. 15, 2001, making you wonder the purpose of the 15-year war. Keeping U.S. forces in Afghanistan no doubt prevents a Taliban takeover. When President Barack Obama decided Dec. 15, 2011 to pull out U.S. combat forces from Iraq, it created the power vacuum that led to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS], now a global terrorism menace.
Biden hoped to discredit Trump 35 days before the November 8 election. With polls giving Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton a four-point lead nationally, Biden’s harsh comments hope to make the margin even more. “Every one of those warriors left behind an entire family, a community, for us! Every one of them ,” said Biden, expressing outrage over Trump’s remarks, as if he disparaged veterans. “I don’t think [Trump] was trying to be mean. He is just so thoroughly, completely uninformed,” said Biden, admitting Trump meant no offense by his remarks. What’s clear is that Biden politicized Trump’s remarks, hoping to score more points before the Nov. 8 election. “I think it’s sickening that anyone would twist Mr. Trump’s comments to me in order to pursue a political agenda . . “ said Marine Staff Sgt. Chad Robichaux in statement from the Trump campaign.
Biden’s become one of Hillary’s top surrogate attack dogs. When he finished his remarks about Trump insulting veterans, Biden brought up former Miss. Universe beauty queen Alicia Machado, another Hillary operative now bashing Trump. Bringing up Machado, Biden proved it doesn’t matter what the topic, he’s out to rip Trump. Trump’s biggest problem heading into Nov. 8 is that he’s opposed by nearly every broadcast and print media organization, willing to broadcast or print anything to discredit him. Trump’s statement that some veterans handle stress better than others is 100% accurate, despite Biden’s denunciation. PTSD comes in many forms and degrees, affecting some vets more than others. Trump’s been very clear he’s all for getting vets the best treatment available, whether dealing with physical injuries or more disguised mental problems like PTSD.
