May 14,2008: One of the reasons troops have refused to seek help for combat fatigue problems has been the long standing rule that you could not get a security clearance, or get one renewed, if you had sought help for mental or emotional issues. That has now been changed, and troops can no longer lose their security clearance if they get treated for combat fatigue. In practice, the old policy was not strictly enforced, but its existence did discourage people with combat stress problems from seeking help for it. Many troops in combat jobs have duties that require a security clearance.