armytimes.com/news/2011/01/gannett-army-formerly-awol-campbell-soldier-deploys-011011/ By Jake Lowary – the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle Posted : Monday Jan 10, 2011 13:26:34 EST
A Fort Campbell soldier who was considered AWOL in November and turned himself in said he would follow orders and deploy back to Afghanistan.
Jeff Hanks, 30, said Saturday that he would follow orders to deploy on Sunday even though he claims he still has post-traumatic stress disorder and has not received proper treatment from the Army. His attorney has also filed a formal complaint with the military claiming he was “wronged.”
“of course I’m going to do my job, but there’s parts of me that know something’s wrong,” he said Saturday night.
Hanks went home to North Carolina in October when he was on mid-tour leave and went to the Army to get help but said his commanders failed to help. the day he was to go back to Afghanistan to finish his tour, his anxiety and depression reached its limit when someone behind him clapped loudly in an airport restaurant.
The 1st Brigade Combat Team soldier said he developed PTSD following a 2008 deployment to Iraq. Since, he says he struggles with headaches and anxiety in large crowds, has nightmares and trouble sleeping and has been unnecessarily mean to his daughters.
Hanks, with supporters from the anti-war groups Iraq Veterans Against the War and Operation Recovery, held a press conference on Veterans Day to call attention to his situation and advocate for better mental health services for soldiers with PTSD.
“It’s sad that I had to resort to that, but I did what I thought was right,” he said then of his flight from the Army.
Since turning himself in, Hanks said he’s been going regularly to appointments both on and off post. the appointments and treatment on post with military behavioral health specialists have “never really got anywhere,” he said.
According to the IVAW website, four civilian doctors have diagnosed Hanks with PTSD.
The military recommended Hanks for a 12-week group therapy course, but his commanders and provider both “balked” because the course would take too long and said he would still have to deploy, he said.
“‘He didn’t really need it anyway, we’re just tying up loose ends,’ ” Hanks said of what he was told by the Army.
He sought a second opinion and that provider, also in the military, acknowledged symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and sleep problems, he said.
“He cleared me [to deploy],” Hanks added.
Hanks’ attorney on Saturday filed an Article 138 with his commanders at Fort Campbell. the article allows any member of the military to officially claim that they were “wronged” by a commanding officer. Under the article, grounds for the claim can include “violation of law or regulation; beyond the legitimate authority of that commander; arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion; or clearly unfair.”
Hanks said he is not sure what the result of the filing will be, but that he plans to deploy anyway.
“I’m going to follow orders and go,” he said.