Disturbing news about Veterans

[Paul B]

On the news this morning they reported that we lose more active combat troops to suicide than combat.
Also the Veteran unimployment rate is two to three times the national average.
This really bothers me and always has. I myself lost two Veteran friends to suicide after they returned from Nam. I don't know why, they just could not make the adjustment back to civilian life.
I didn't have a problem with that but my wife tells me that I also have some PTSD. I never realized it and I am glad she told me but I always thought I came back from Nam better than when I went.
I don't understand PTSD (post tramatic stress disorder) very well but I can understand easily how you can be affected by it.
We back home only see tiny snippets of actual combat. Almost nothing, and while we are seeing it, we are safe in our homes.
Nothing will scare you as much as actual combat where your friends are dying or you are getting wounded or worse. It happens very fast and furious and even if you are not seriously hurt, the pain of the tiny pieces of schrapnel digging into you from near by explosions or the sound of a bullet, or many bullets speeding past your ears much faster than the speed of sound will scare you like you will never be scared again for the rest of your life. You never forget it.
War, at least the war I was in was a combination of severe boredom and severe combat, there was not much in between.
I don't know the answer to all the problems Veterans have but I think more should be done to try to aclimate Veterans back into relatively peaceful society.
PTSD is many times a silent condition hardly noticed by even close friends.
To this day, loud noises drive me crazy and for many years I hated the Fourth of July. I am over it and don't have any problems that I can tell, but if you go to a Veterans hospital, many of these brave men and women can not ever again merge back into society.
Sorry, just ranting a little about something that bothers me.

 

[DonW]

On the news this morning they reported that we lose more active combat troops to suicide than combat.
Also the Veteran unimployment rate is two to three times the national average.
This really bothers me and always has. I myself lost two Veteran friends to suicide after they returned from Nam. I don't know why, they just could not make the adjustment back to civilian life.

The "news" thinks this is news? Its nothing new it happened with your generation of soldiers and it happened with mine. Now its going on again and our government still remains reactive as usual. We have one of the morally weakest militaries in the world and we wonder why.

I can justify these issues with a draft but not a volunteer military. Even when we had a draft during vietnam we weeded out the weak. Our military is swollen with mental illness that has nothing to do with war. We allow mentally unstable, weak individuals to enlist with no regard to their mental stability. Most of our military couldnt pass a physc. eval for a local police department. Why do we let them enlist knowing that they will get even more screwed up than they were. This is the irresponsibility of our own government.

We no longer weed out the weak with discipline. I think it was you that mentioned carrying telephone poles during basic training. Today we see that as cruel and unusual punishment. Of course this is just one tiny example of how we have allowed the weak to remain. We have gone as far as to become equal opportunity. We reduced the training and cater to females, meaning the men get the same training as the women. My bet is you wouldnt be here posting on this forum if you were trained like we train today.

This is a socity and government irresposibility issue. We have become so pro humane as a general public, politicians have been forced to conform or get voted out of office. The women that pushed for military equality were to blind to see they nail the casket shut of their own children or grandchildren that go off to war.

PTSD is a generic diagnosis for almost any issue a guy may be having after his tour. Like ADD ADHD or depression its a diagnosis for something we dont understand. We mask it with drugs that alter the brain and behavior. I'll take my PTSD issues anyday over drugs. 25 Years later I still have what a shrink would call PTSD. If I took drugs to help me sleep every time brain matter hits me in my dreams I'd be a drug addict with PTSD.

I think it boils down to our government being proactive. Making sure that soldiers are fit for duty and the proper type of duty. This mean evaluating their mental health prior to enlistment just like police departments. This means politicians getting a pair and standing up to the women and whimps. Our government needs to train soldiers as war machines and ignore anyone that thinks its inhumane.

I could go on and on for days but until are government developes a moral compass it wont do a bit of good.

Don

 

[Paul B]

Don, I agree with you on a soft Govt. I think our higher up elected officials should have had to serve in the military but most people would not agree with me on that.

The "news" thinks this is news? Its nothing new

It was news to me and I would rather hear things like a report on Veterans than Lindsy Lohan.
I knew our military had a high suicide rate but I did not know it was that high. It is way above the general population.
I also have no idea what the training is now but it used to make men stronger, maybe sometimes a little too strong as we would lose some people in Basic training from being overworked. I would not want to go through basic again but I do believe it is the best thing that could happen to someone.
It changes your whole outlook on life and forces you to become mature and do things on your own.
It is great and natural to have parents, I am a parent myself, but there is a time when our kids must think on their own. The military does that for you very quickly.
My Dad died when I was 10 and I was very resourseful, the Army was not a big change for me because I was used to doing things for myself.
I can't stand it when I talk to a 30 something year old and he keeps quoting his Father.
You should respect your Father but think on your own. Your Father probably did.
My wife and I raised our daughter like that. We don't believe in allowances or buying them cars, houses or just about anything else. They can get a job and buy it themselves like we did. That is another thing the military teaches you, self reliance.

 

[DonW]

Don, I agree with you on a soft Govt. I think our higher up elected officials should have had to serve in the military but most people would not agree with me on that.

The military does that for you very quickly.
That is another thing the military teaches you, self reliance.

I wish that was still the case. I served 8 with 1st sfod-d it was difficult to say the least. After I got out I did an additional 12 in the usar as a jump master. Over those 12 doing annual duty at Ft. Benning I watched the decline of discipline and the decline of moral. Once we let the gals into the infantry and god forbid jump school it gave new meaning to the 5 jump chump. There is no way we can prepare soldiers for battle with todays standards and rules. Its time for the government to stand up and say. "We dont care if its humane, it saves lives"

Then there was Bush and his belief that if we take the black Beret and stick it on everyone moral will increase. NOT it did just the oposite. It stole from the Rangers the moral and comradery that they deserved and noting more. Then to make things look better to the media they turned the term Special Forces into a generic term. Taking away from soldiers like me that actually earned that green beret.

We might as well send a bunch of boyscouts over with guns. My nephew is a perfect example. Dumb kid fresh out of high school, went through basic and jump school at Ft. Benning. I laughed when he told me he was going to the 82nd. In a week he was recycled for attitude issues and sent to Iraq where he nearly lost a leg. Now he's all screwed up and is a drunk drug addict that should have never been sent, he should have been dx'ed when he left Bragg. This is pure neglegence on the part of the US Army.

The problems we have with our soldiers for the most part can be prevented but wont be. There will always be some that cant cope and their is no perfect answer but there is also no excuse for it being as bad as it is.

Don

 

[Krish]

Just wanted you two to know, that you both are among some of the most respected members here that always do your best to help out and abide by the rules. No harm done here, but the thread is kind of boderline when it comes to the controvercial threads we tend to steer away from and with mention of politics as well, I'm afraid the thread will have to be closed.


Once again I'm sorry and hope you guys understand. I mean no disrespect whatsoever, but just don't want the thread to spiral out of control.