PTSD Type Symptoms and CGSC class 08-01, a Study of Field Grade Officers and Implications for the Future

With the emergence of the Global War on Terror (GWOT), the mental illness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is increasingly identified in returning veterans. A 2006 mental health study released by the Pentagon found 11% of returning OEF veterans and 19% of returning OIF veterans have mental health issues. Of the veterans sampled, 5% were Army Officers and 2% were Marine Officers. Thus, the primary research question was: Are the combat veterans of CGSC Class 08-01 representative of the Army's statistics on returning veterans with PTSD type symptoms? Using the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M) and a demographic questionnaire, a survey sample of 297 field grade officers from a population of 584 combat veterans found 35% of single tour OEF veterans and 41% of single tour OIF veterans had PTSD type symptoms. 41% of multiple tour veterans had PTSD type symptoms. 50% of the survey sample believed mental health counseling would damage their careers and the percentage increased to 70% among those with PTSD type symptoms.