One of the worst results of perpetual war

How long are we going to do this to the men and women of our military?

U.S. Troop Morale at New Low

Todd Pittman / AP Photo

The Pentagon said Thursday that U.S. troops in Afghanistan have reported dangerously low morale, resulting in the highest rates of depression since 2005. The results do not come as a surprise to many military doctors, who say a dramatic increase in fighting has caused 70 to 80 percent of all soldiers to have witnessed the death of a friend. Nearly two thirds of troops said they had seen a roadside bomb go off within 55 yards of them. The military said it has doubled the staff of mental health staff in recent years, meaning there is one mental health-professional for every 646 soldiers. Marines reported the highest levels of stress, with nearly one in five reporting acute psychological problems.

Read it at CBS News

We are in our 10th year of war over there.  How can we possibly think we can do this forever?

Look just at this information above, before even opening the full article and ask yourself how we think this can go on, ad infinitum:

--The highest rates of depression since 2005

--70 to 80% of all soldiers have witnessed the death of a friend

--Nearly 2/3 of the troops say they've seen a roadside bomb go off near them

--One in five Marines reporting "acute psychological problems"

How long can we do this to them?

Forget that we can't financially afford all this war, how can we morally afford it?

We owe them far better.

Endless war is insanity.