Just to harp on an issue dear to me - soldiers mentally f'ed up by stupid wars. Its a good reason to think twice before going in shooting. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001773206 But it's not Bush's fault. I'm sure his mental trauma was a result of getting heckled and spit upon by hippy antiwar protestors when he returned from Iraq, just like the Vietnam vets, right?
And the poor guy has to deal with the VA that is being gutted by the Reeps in Congress. The war is a crime and the way our vets are being cared for is a crime. I guess we can all comfort ourselves with the knowledge that the rich won't go without this year.
Maybe he shouldn't have joined the Marines, then he wouldn't have gone to fight in a war. Then he wouldn't have PTSD. So you see it's his own fault, he shouldn't have joined the Marines in the first place. When will they ever learn?
There's a new study out that the cost of the Iraq war will be between $1 and $2 TRILLION dollars. The economists included lost productivity of the dead and injured, and long-term medical care for the physically and psychologically wounded, as well as the cost of higher oil prices, etc. FYI.
Boy, it's a good thing his morale was so high and that he supported the war unhesitatingly, just like every other soldier, otherwise I'd be worried about him. Obviously, this is Cindy Sheehan and Howard Dean's fault for undercutting his morale.
If I thought you guys actually gave a ******** about this Marine then I might try and honestly reply But nice of you all to use the poor guy as a political tool You should be ashamed of yourselves
What? Fabricate a reason for a war on the other side of the world so we can send our citizens there to be killed, either outright or on the inside? You're right, anybody with a soul wouldn't do such a thing to those men.
Wait wait wait - by this logic.... Remember the wacko who flipped on the Long Island Rairoad and shot a bunch of everyday commuters? Well, if people who read the story were horrified - at the thought of it happening to them or their loved ones - but honestly didn't care too much about the people that actually died - well, then they should be ashamed? So if such a person either reacted to the shooting and their fear for their own lives or family - by either favoring gun control, or favoring arming the entire population - would be using the murderer and the victims as a political tool and should be ashamed? So when we see an american soldier facing the challenges of PTSD - should we be equally concerned with the marine himself, and the chance that he will wig out again and hurt other innocent bystanders (maybe with a gun this time?). Especially if adequate mental help is denied because of lack of funds? PTSD happens in war. That is why decisions for war should never be taken lightly. Its effects snowball all over society after the war is over. Is it wrong to care for society but not the soldier? Is it nobler to care for a soldier over multiple families? (But you're right - the guy was smoking, and all liberals detest smokers more than Saddam Hussain, right?)
Maybe it's the fact that he IS a tool. PTSD? What the ******** is up with that? Both my grandfathers fought in WW2, as did many other people from their generation and they didn't come back with no PTSD. They came back and rejoined the society and became sucessful people. And let me tell you, this little Iraq thing is nothing compared to spending 6 years in the RAF, seeing action everywhere from London to Tunisia to Dresden. Or in case of my other grandfather, spending 4 years fighting as a guerilla fighter behind German lines. If you're not mentally strong to deal with this kind of stuff, why would you enlist?
It's unlikely that he's reading this. And the point is, I doubt from minute one he asked to be a New York Post pro-war icon. EDIT - I can't sign off on the stuff above. How can anyone possibly know whether they're tough enough to handle anything like that, until the time comes? And not every soldier's* experience is the same, in any case. I don't know what this guy went through, and why he has PTSD while John McCain and John Kerry are senators. Heck, for all I know in a few years this guy will become a senator, too. *I know there's some differentiation between "soldier" and "Marine," but is there a word for both that won't offend some kind of regimental honor? "War-fighting guy" seems to lack a little zip.
man, ignoring the reality of post-traumatic stress is pretty ********ed-up. It's especially rich coming from a bunch of guys sitting at computers. get bent
You're quite mistaken. "Shell shock" was a substantial problem in both World Wars. You should also realize the difference between the front & rear lines. While 15 million Americans fought in WWII, many were not at the front. If your RAF grandfather is alive, ask him how many missions he actually flew. Most US airmen only flew 25 actual bombings runs. I don't know the RAF figures. Frankly, the casualty rates were so high that many did not make the 25. We, as children & grandchildren of successful veterans, need to realize that many others were truly disfunctional upon their return to "civvy street", as some called it. Case in point: Howard Unruh, notorious for his "death walk" in 1949. http://howard-unruh.biography.ms/ "Unruh's rampage was the most visible of a number of murders and suicides by WWII veterans"
Did you include my post in your reply? If you did you should know that I spent 5 hours today waiting at the Hampton VAMC with my wife, who is 100% T&P service-connected disabled, for a neurology appointment. Bushco has raised the co-pay and access fees and continually underfunded the VA. Why? So the rich can have another tax cut. Its shameful.
Chill out bro. PTSD affects more soldiers than you think. And Fallujah was where some intense fighting went on. Besides, he wouldn't have got in had he not been deemed healthy at the time of enlistment. He also made it through Marine Corp boot camp with no problems. I've had numerous friends tell me that they had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life after military service. And I certainly wouldn't consider them pu$$ies just for that. Why don't you go enlist and see what you're made of?