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Thursday, January 19, 2012 – Daily News 5A Wars lessons being applied to ease combat stress CAMP PENDLETON (AP) — When the Marine unit that suffered the great- est casualties in the 10-year Afghan war returned home last spring, they didn't rush back to their everyday lives. Instead, the Marine Corps put them into a kind of decompression chamber, keeping them at Camp Pendleton for 90 days with the hope that a slow re-entry into mundane daily life would ease their trauma. The program was just one of many that the mili- tary created as it tries to address the emotional toll of war, a focus that is getting renewed attention as veter- ans struggling to adjust back home are accused of violent crimes, including murder. While veterans are no more likely to commit such crimes than the general pop- ulation, the latest cases have sparked a debate over whether they are isolated cases or a worrying reminder of what can hap- pen when service members don't get the help they need. ''This is a big focus of all the services, that we take care of our warriors who are returning because they have taken such good care of us,'' Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said, pointing out that tens of thousands of veterans return home to lead produc- tive lives. Some, however, fall on hard times, getting into trouble with the law. Others quietly suffer, with their families and friends trying to pull them out of a depres- sion. In the latest high-profile criminal case involving an Iraq war veteran, a former Camp Pendleton Marine is accused of killing four homeless men in California. His family said he was never the same after his 2008 deployment. In Wash- ington state, an Iraq War veteran described as strug- gling emotionally killed a Mount Rainier National Park ranger and later died trying to escape. Suffering from combat stress is an age-old problem. What's new is the kind of wars that troops fight now. They produce their own unique pressures, said psy- chologist Eric Zillmer, a Drexel University professor and co-editor of the book ''Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications.'' The war on terror ''is very ambiguous, with no front lines, where you can't tell who the enemy is. Dur- ing the day, he may be a community leader and, at night, a guerrilla fighter. You never know when an assault takes place. It's very complicated, and people feel always on edge,'' he said. Add to that, multiple deployments that tax the central nervous system, said Zillmer: ''The human brain can only stay in danger mode for so long before it feels like it's lost it. It gets exhausted.'' He compared going into combat like ''diving to the depths of the ocean and when you have to go back to the surface you have to decompress. ''It's the same process,'' he said. ''It's almost a bio- logical process.'' A 2009 Army report concluded that the psycho- logical trauma of fierce combat in Iraq might have helped drive soldiers from one brigade to kill as many as 11 people in Colorado and other states. The study found the soldiers also faced ''significant disruptions in family-social support.'' The military's stubborn- ly high suicide rate has proven that more help is needed, and that is why it has been investing in help- ing troops transition back from war zones. Few units know war's pain more than the 3rd Bat- talion, 5th Marine Regi- ment. The Camp Pendleton battalion nicknamed ''The Dark Horse'' lost 25 mem- bers in some of the heaviest fighting ever seen in Police announce arrests in 2008 Calif. deaths LONG BEACH (AP) — Two alleged gang mem- bers were charged Wednes- day with the shootings deaths of five people in a homeless encampment beneath a Los Angeles- area freeway more than three years ago, police said. Long Beach police Chief Jim McDonnell announced the arrests Wednesday of David Ponce, 31, and Max Rafael, 25 — alleged members of the Nuthood Watts criminal street gang. Both men are charged with five special circumstance murders, one count each of kidnapping to commit another crime and conspiracy to commit a crime, along with gun and gang allegations, McDon- nell said. The mass killing in November 2008 baffled investigators after the bod- ies of three men and two women were found on a Sunday morning in a seedy neighborhood of ware- houses and apartment buildings. A phone tip led them to the bodies, which had been there at least a day. At the time, officers said there were no eyewitnesses and they hadn't established a motive for the shooting deaths. Some victims were shot multiple times. News of the arrests comes a day after a sus- pected serial killer was charged in the stabbing deaths of four homeless men in nearby Orange County over the past month. The Long Beach killings happened in an area known as a homeless encampment and drug hangout in the shadow of two intersecting freeways. The investigation may have been hampered as the season's first significant CARE TO COMMENT? At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. 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During that time, the Marines participated in a memorial service for their fallen comrades. They held barbecues and banquets, where they talked about their time at war. Before the program, troops would go their separate ways with many finding they had no one to talk to about what they had just seen. Mental health profes- sionals are monitoring the group, which has since scat- tered. They say it is too early to tell what kind of impact keeping them together made. Combat vet- erans believe it likely will help in the long run. The Marines have ordered com- bat units since then to stick together for 90 days after leaving the battlefield. ''They share a common- ality because they've gone through the same thing, so it helps them to come down,'' said Maj. Gen. Ronald Bai- ley, the commanding gener- al of one of Camp Pendle- ton's most storied units, the 1st Marine Division. ''I can tell you from experience that this will help,'' said Bailey, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new practice is one of a slew of initiatives ush- ered in by the new com- mandant, Gen. James Amos, who has made addressing mental health issues of Marines a top pri- ority. He was concerned by the branch's suicide rate, which has ranked among the highest of the armed services. Commanders have tried to remove the stigma that seeking help is a sign of weakness. The Marines have set up hotlines and designated psychologists, chaplains and junior troops to identify troubled troops. ''We've been in this 11 years and the med- ical staff and Marine offi- cials are better educated now on dealing with com- bat stress,'' Bailey said. All service members also now undergo rigorous screening of their mental stability both before and after they go to battle. While Veterans Affairs and Department of Justice have said veterans don't commit more crimes per capita than others, the VA has launched efforts to help veterans in trouble with the law receive help rather than just be locked up. Since 2009, the VA has had a legal team review cases to see if the best remedy is treatment instead of incarceration. States also have been establishing special veter- ans courts to do the same. Some say combat stress is also being used by crimi- nals trying to get a lighter sentence. Veterans agree the mili- tary has made great strides in the past few years but they say the help has come too late for many. Paul Sullivan, executive director of the Washing- ton, D.C.-based National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, said the mili- tary only started adminis- tering medical exams of service members before and after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007 to identify problems early so they can be treat- ed more effectively and less expensively. ''It's good their imple- menting it now, yes, how- ever, what's the military going to do with all of the veterans the military didn't examine?'' he asked. ''That's the problem.'' 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