U.S.Army suicides

[proseros]

Yes ladies and gentlemen another one of proseros' paranoid conspiracy threads...

Courtesy of the Associated Press.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/army_suicides
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-afu0ZQvK7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-8PlJVhogs

It doesn't stop there. But I'll stop here.


kuh nee chee wah, bichez [Dave Chapelle].

[rissababynta]

Ok, so what, in detail, IS your paranoide conspiracy theory ;) lol

[proseros]

I never said I had any theory, which is exactly the point.

As it seems any conspiracy theory I'd be thought to have is more important than the information, then it is simply another conspiracy thread-all the information will ever amount to.

curiouser and curiouser ...
"and that's where it stops."

But what could be more important or relevant than anal and vaginal finger fucking technique anyway? ;) lul.




"kuh nee chee wah bichez" [Dave Chapelle]

[Realist]

I spent 7 years in the military, before and during the Viet Nam debacle. The stresses and trauma of the war, combined with some drug use and the feeling that some units were basically cannon fodder, weighs heavily on a person's soul. No one, who has never been in combat, can possibly understand the mind-searing mental and physical pain that is brought to bear.

I have observed that there are those who are predisposed to suicide.

It's been my personal experience that, those who were brought up where children were required to be responsible for their own actions, loved, but not babied, and were taught that life may be rough, seem to be much less affected by terrible events, like that seen in combat.

Spoiled, pampered, and those of poor character, are often those who choose the easy way out. Of course, as with any psychological situation, nothing is in concrete. These are just my own observations and thoughts.

One dear friend, who committed suicide, was a total mystery to me, because he was well decorated, proved his valor in combat and seemed very well adjusted.

I know that he did have reoccurring dreams of a fellow soldier being blown up in front of him. I wondered if that may have been his last thought. We will never know.

Anyway, I have never made lightly of anyone's pain, whether it was either mental, or physical. And, if I'm aware of any mental stress, I will always see if I can assist in finding help for relief.

How awful for someone to waste a life, when they can't cope and decide to end it all!

[FalconAngel]

I spent 7 years in the military, before and during the Viet Nam debacle. The stresses and trauma of the war, combined with some drug use and the feeling that some units were basically cannon fodder, weighs heavily on a person's soul. No one, who has never been in combat, can possibly understand the mind-searing mental and physical pain that is brought to bear.

I have observed that there are those who are predisposed to suicide.

It's been my personal experience that, those who were brought up where children were required to be responsible for their own actions, loved, but not babied, and were taught that life may be rough, seem to be much less affected by terrible events, like that seen in combat.

Spoiled, pampered, and those of poor character, are often those who choose the easy way out. Of course, as with any psychological situation, nothing is in concrete. These are just my own observations and thoughts.

One dear friend, who committed suicide, was a total mystery to me, because he was well decorated, proved his valor in combat and seemed very well adjusted.

I know that he did have reoccurring dreams of a fellow soldier being blown up in front of him. I wondered if that may have been his last thought. We will never know.

Anyway, I have never made lightly of anyone's pain, whether it was either mental, or physical. And, if I'm aware of any mental stress, I will always see if I can assist in finding help for relief.

How awful for someone to waste a life, when they can't cope and decide to end it all!

The major problem with PTSD (aka DSS, aka Shell Shock - depending on how far back one goes) is that, in many cases, it is not obvious until well after the soldier has returned home and been discharged. Then the military drops them and it no longer is "a military problem".

Too little has been done for our combat vets and, if what has been reported in the news is right, that situation is on the way to change.

People don't seem to realize, particularly during and immediately after a time of war, that returning soldiers need to be re-acclimated and in some cases, rehabilitated, for civilian life. People just slap em on the back and call em hero. They are heroes, but they are also people that have been prepared to do what most people will not, so they need to be prepared for life outside of a war zone.

Not as many soldiers in direct combat roles stay in, when their tour is up. Many get out without the proper tools to re-enter civilian life and the military does nothing to help.

The military made these combat troops into killing machines and once they are done and their service is over, they seem to be carelessly discarded. It can be equated with training a dog to be a fighting dog and then releasing him into the streets when he is no longer needed.
It does a disservice to the soldier and has the potential for great hazard to the civilian population.

Not all of us vets are that bad, nor are all combat vets that bad, but when the military does release combat soldiers from service, there is an inherant responsibility to make sure that the soldier they are setting loose on the population is ready to be a part of that population. Emotionally, if in no other way.

[Realist]

Your comments, as usual, are well thought-out and well stated. I hope the military will step up to the plate and develop a better system to evaluate and treat the personnel, who have given so much.

[rissababynta]

When my husband was in the Marines, he never actually was a physical part of any kind of war. However, he was still a Marine, with Marine training, so he did not adjust well to civilian life when he got out. It also didn't help that he was born on a military base, was raised in a military family life style, and only experienced life away from that when he was out of the military himself. Now, he is back in the military (dragging me along might I add!) and is much happier with his life. He used to be overwhelmingly suicidal because he did not know what it was like to be left to your own devices as a civilian. In the military, you barely have to think for yourself. You are told what to do, how to do it and where and when to be to do it, no exceptions. This is the environment that he was used to and comfortable in.

All I am trying to say is that I saw the difficulties that he had surviving as a civilian and if he was actually one of the people to have been fighting and watching people die around him (like his poor brother, boy can that guy drink now...), I think he probably would have killed himself too. I fully agree with you Falcon. I think that there needs to be more of a sensitivity to soldiers in order to help them adjust to what civilian life will be like after all of this junk that they may or may not experience while in the service.

The military provides many options for soldiers having problems at VA hospitals, but VA hospitals are not always at a reasonable distance from a soldier (we figured that out the hard way...) and they are only there if you have all of your paperwork in order and you have recognized that you have a problem and take yourself there, which really doesn't help too much when trying to prevent harm being done...