According to the New York Times (12/3, A12, Dao, Subscription Publication), a class-action lawsuit filed in Federal District Court argues that Vietnam veterans who were issued other-than-honorable discharges had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when the discharges were issued. The suit, which seeks to have the discharges upgraded, “raises two thorny issues that could affect thousands of Vietnam veterans: Can they be given a diagnosis of PTSD retroactively, to their time in service, though the disorder was not identified until 1980? And if they can, should recently instituted policies intended to protect troops with PTSD be applied retroactively to their cases?” An Army spokesperson “said the military has a policy of not discussing pending litigation.”
Related Links:
— “Vietnam Veterans, Discharged Under Cloud, File Suit Saying Trauma Was Cause,”James Dao, The New York Times, December 2, 2012.