PTSD

[16] Government Source Huseman, Susan. “‘Battlemind’ Prepares Soldiers for Combat, Returning Home.” American Forces Press Services 3 Jan. 2008.

Part 1: Source Analysis The American Forces Information Service (AFIS) produces news, feature articles, and TV reports on all aspects of military life within the United States Department of Defense Press Office (www.defenselink.mil). The American Forces Press Service (AFPS) specifically is the news service provided by the American Forces Information Service (www.defenselink.mil). The DOD Press Office and the AFIS are part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (www.defenselink.mil). Susan Huseman serves in the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs Office as an associate editor (www.imcom.army.mil).

Part 2: Main Assertions Huseman asserts that post-deployment health briefings didn’t specifically target soldiers going into combat and coming back with adjustment challenges. To support her article she interviewed a doctor from Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, who defined their objectives for a mental health training program and described that the Battlemind system was built from findings in surveys and interviews given to soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Huseman claims that pre-deployment Battlemind tells soldiers what they are likely to see, to hear, to think and to feel while deployed and the post-deployment training addresses safety concerns and relationship issues, normalizes combat-related mental health reactions and symptoms, and teaches soldiers when they should seek mental health support for themselves or for friends. Huseman concludes that the system supports soldiers and families across the phases of deployment and reemphasizes normal reactions and symptoms in a realistic and relatable way to true combat service.