Fighting through the pain

When a country is at war, it depends on its soldiers to deliver the goods. If the army is a volunteer force, morale is usually high and the soldiers make commitments above and beyond the call of duty. The usual expression is "walking wounded". These are the soldiers who have sufficient mobility to carry on the fight despite the injuries. The U.S. has been engaged in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for some time now. We are now well into the "surge" in Iraq and the commitment of troops to the NATO command in Afghanistan is being increased.
Over the last two months, the U.S. Government Accountability Office has been investigating the deployment strategies to keep troops rotating into combat zones. This was prompted by complaints from soldiers themselves and from Congress. The GAO's report is now out. The first and most obvious finding is that soldiers are being deployed more often and for longer tours of duty. There are only a finite number of soldiers in a volunteer force. When the reality of combat means that more soldiers are being injured, this puts pressure on the military command to find sufficient able-bodied men for the next rotation.
The GAO examined the records at three U.S. Forts and found that some 14% of the enlisted personnel were carrying injuries that required limitations on the duties they were ordered to perform. When their divisions were deployed, about two-thirds were sent anyway. The GAO is unable to say whether the need to find them positions where they can work within their physical limitations was being respected by their commanders in the field.
We are rightly proud of the young men and women who serve in our armed forces. They serve with honor. It is therefore sad that these walking wounded with their multiple back and joint injuries should have become a walking advertisement for the safety and effectiveness of tramadol. In multiple interviews carried in newspapers around the U.S., families report sending their loved ones out to fight with bottles of tramadol to keep the pain under control. Almost without exception, these men serve with distinction. They get enough sleep (the pain does not keep them awake). Because they stay alert, they perform their duties well. Because tramadol allows them to move with reasonable speed, many actually re-enter the combat zones and again perform with distinction. It would be better if these men had the time to recover properly before being sent out again to represent their country in armed combat. That they still perform well is down to their skill and the power of tramadol.