[Lang]

Robert

I did not wish to offend anyone with my comments and do understand the military a little with 15 years in the trade.

It was more a matter of scale and risk that I was comparing Afghanistan with Bomber Command. Canada had around 50,000 serve in RCAF and RAF during WW2 and lost around 10,000 people in 5 years. Canada has had about the same number serve in Afghanistan and lost around 170 people in 17 years. These are operational and training deaths and neither of these figures includes normal "industrial" accidents eg traffic and machinery accidents which, with modern safety regulations and health care, makes the WW2 figures for such events seem really bad.

The huge numbers involved in WW2 and the guaranteed horrific casualty rate on every mission, every time you went out made bomber command unique in the allied major operations (the U-Boat crews and the atrocious conditions for both sides on the Eastern Front are another story). There was no end in sight and they were there for the duration if they survived - do your allotted missions, have a break, then back into it again.

At least the Afghanistan people know they are not there forever and the casualty rate is minuscule compared with bomber command. This does not reduce the courage and dedication of the people there nor reduce individual experiences.

Many Australian soldiers have 3 and 4 six month tours of Afghanistan under their belt but they have good breaks in between and are monitored closely for any PTSD signs and get early treatment and are not thrown back to the wolves like the WW2 aircrew. Many are keen to go back because it is what they signed up for and the others go because it is their duty. These multiple extended "peacetime" deployments take a huge toll on relationships and family life. I should imagine the other nations in Afghanistan have similar monitoring and problems.

The 20 year olds of 2018 are no less dedicated or courageous than the 20 year olds of 1943 but their situation is vastly different. It is investigation into the historical lack of support for WW1, WW2 and particularly Vietnam, mental problems that has allowed us to treat the current people - for exactly the same - problems.

One other point is that all? the people in Afghanistan come from professional regular armies or volunteers from an active reserve. It is their chosen career and when they signed up they knew dying was part of the job description. In WW2 most nations fighting in Europe had majority conscripted (not Australia) forces and the vast majority of the volunteer group had no military interest but were there to do the right thing then go back to their lives. It does not change the effects upon the individual but you can not say circumstances are identical for every period in history.

Nothing new as the Romans and armies before them were full of people with PTSD but it has taken us 10,000 years to actually try to do something about it.

As I said, wars are a most unpleasant thing.

Lang