Review of mental health policy a good move
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:26 AM PST
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it would most likely start a probe regarding how the military oversees soldier personnel policies in the wake of the deadly Fort Hood shootings earlier this month.
The U.S. Army’s No. 2 officer, Army Vice-Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli, said Tuesday that there is a fear there may be more people like Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan in the military.
Hasan is alleged to have killed more than a dozen people when he opened fire with handguns Nov. 5.
Chiarelli said the Army is making every effort to improve mental health services for soldiers.
While a review of policy is always a prudent move — and more so with this particular case — there are some fundamental points regarding the Fort Hood shooting that need to be disseminated to the American public.
First and foremost is the fact this was a tragedy on a grand scale. Tragedy for the soldiers wounded, and a tragedy for the families who must deal with the loss of their loved ones.
There is also a certain degree of personal responsibility that must be attached to such crimes. While mental health issues should never be discarded or downplayed, in the end, Dr. Hasan, under his own free will, elected to start shooting.
Utilizing this case as a convenient jump-off point to yet again argue for gun control or other nonsense somehow cheapens the tragedy that grips the families of the brave servicemen and women injured or killed, and it also sends the message to America it was the fault of someone else, or the system, for the tragedy.
A review of the policy regarding mental health in the Army is a good move but only if it is designed to move forward, not find a scapegoat.
If the review denigrated into an effort to lay blame instead of find viable answers, another tragedy would occur.
Our view is based on the consensus opinions of the Argus Observer editorial board. Members of the board are Publisher John Dillon, Editor Pat Caldwell, News Editor Jessica Keller and community members Ken Hart, Ontario, and Abby Lee, Fruitland.
