U.S. commanders in Iraq reject 1-month break for soldiers

U.S. commanders in Iraq rejected a recommendation by mental health experts that troops receive a one-month break for every three months in a combat zone, the Army Times reported Wednesday.

Instead, commanders only agreed to give their soldiers 2 to 3 days inside heavily fortified bases after about 8 days in the field, said Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief aide to the ground forces commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, according to the report.

"We would never get the job done of securing (of Baghdad) if we went out for three months and came back" for one, Anderson said.

U.S. forces in Iraq spend more time in continuous combat without a break than those who fought in Vietnam War and World War II, according to Army psychologists who studied troops in Iraq.

These psychologists said continual combat may cause more mental health problems.

A research last year showed that 30 percent of U.S. troops in Iraq experiencing high levels of combat demonstrate signs of anxiety, depression or acute stress.

Source: Xinhua