WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Army says the service is reviewing mental health programs amid renewed attention to the stress of war after a U.S. soldier was suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians.
John McHugh was pressed on the issue by Sen. Patty Murray, who said the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state reversed 40 percent of diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder for candidates for military retirement. Stress from multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan has become an issue since the March 11 massacre.
A suspect, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, is being held in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., while a military investigation continues into the shooting spree in Afghanistan.
Separately, McHugh told a Senate panel he's confident the military can handle the case.
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