Stressed soldiers said redeployed

BOSTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Numerous soldiers are being sent back to Iraq and Afghanistan even though they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, Boston's WCVB-TV reported.

In case after case, the military violated its own policy and shipped out PTSD sufferers before they are well, WCVB said Monday.

One example is 25-year-old Damian Fernandez, who his mother said was under attack for an entire year, the report said.

"Every day, for 365 days, they were under attack there," said Mary Jane Fernandez told the station. "Bombings and land mines were in the street and he saw his fellow soldiers killed."

Fernandez was classified as 70 percent disabled from post-traumatic stress disorder, but was still ordered back into active duty, the report said.

"All day long he was just getting more and more agitated until he said he was going to kill himself rather than go back," his mother said.

The official policy of the Department of Defense says soldiers with serious psychiatric problems may only be sent back to the war zone if they are stable for at least three months, the station said.

The National Guard told the station its policy "is based on the severity of their PTSD diagnosis ... that may limit their ability to deploy."