Is the average American afraid of the return of its troops?

by Gill 28 Replies latest social current

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  juni

  Quite a few of the soldiers returning have deep emotional problems that affect their families. I personally don't know what this gov't does in the way of helping them psychologically-wise outside of them getting help through a personal health plan. Maybe someone else knows.

  And I'm sure all of the soldiers have trouble getting back into a normal routine of life. They have been trained to kill and now they have to fit in to society. It's sad. Most are outstanding people who have sacrificed a lot and as have their families.

  Juni
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  mrsjones5

  
  Many of the troops have already come back. I have yet to see anyone running in the streets in fear of our forces who have returned from Iraq. Me thinks this topic was pulled out of someone's butt. I have an idea...why not ask someone (an american) who's loved one has come back from Iraq. You could learn something instead of all this guessing - which is all you're really doing.

  Josie
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  juni

  One example of families suffering when soldier returned was PMed to me. And from other conversations I know of more. You don't hear of crazed men/women running in the streets, but they do have a hard time readjusting.

  Juni
• 

  Fangorn

  Obviously you've never been in an airport when the troops come off a plane. There is almost always an ovation. Frankly, I consider your remark one of the more ignorant I've heard. Even the leftist ant-war bunch wants to "Bring The Troops Home!"
• 

  Gill

  This 'comment' is not meant to be offensive to troops who have been sent to 'Hell' and back. If you choose to take it that way, that's really your problem. I have been watching, reading a lot about the effects of trauma on young men in battle.

  I suppose those of you who have suddenly got your pants in a scrunch over this comment have forgotten what happened to similar young men in the first and second world wars, vietnam Korea, Iraq Part 1.

  Men are not robots. Giving them a gun does not take away their humanity.....fear and terror does damage them.

  Also, not all of them will have been in the highly charged situation that NOW exists in Iraq.

  Mental damage does not show immeadiately. If you chose to ignore their minds, and only see their bodies return then you have NO IDEA what they might have endured.
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  carla

  The armed forces in the US are VOLUNTARY. I know a few young people in the military (men and women) and every single one has said the same thing, 'those that have already seen a tour in Iraq want to go back'. I know of no one who is afraid of returning service people. I do know of plenty people who are frightened by the gangs in the cities, the mental patients walking the streets and illegal aliens who commit crimes only to be returned to the country of origin or put up in prison at our expense.

  Have you ever talked to a vet? To get a balanced view you may want to vistit you local VFW Hall and see the many, many different views of how returning from war affects the many different personalities. They are not all insane. My neighbor recently returned from Iraq, he appears quite normal, goes to work, plays with his children and seems to love his wife.His entire street was lined with flags and welcome home signs. Could he snap at some point due to the horrors of war? Yes. So can ex jw's from the horrors of spiritual, emotional, physical, and sexual abuses. What is the government or churches doing about that?

  Your average EMT worker in a large city sees more horrors than your average soldier, warrior, or sailor in a tour of war. I say average, there are the exceptions of course. Peeling kids off the pavement every other night, putting people in body bags on a near daily basis, seeing the despair of suicide, etc...etc... From what I hear from military types is the tour is usually about 6 months and they return home. Those with specialized services (which they volunteered for) have to stay longer because there are not as many of them with a certain skill. Some serve and see no 'actual hand to hand' much is not 'seen' by the individual, many bombs and 'knowing' but not actual visual images.

  If someone gave me the choice, would you rather have an ex military who has seen war move in next to you or a jw what would you choose? I would choose the military any day. I find them far less dangerous to ones being.
• 

  roybatty

  Your average EMT worker in a large city sees more horrors than your average soldier, warrior, or sailor in a tour of war. I say average, there are the exceptions of course. Peeling kids off the pavement every other night, putting people in body bags on a near daily basis, seeing the despair of suicide, etc...etc...

  
  

  
  Excellent point. I recently came to appreciate this more when I spoke with a friend of mine who quit being an EMT for a large city. After being one for a year or so, she just couldn't take pulling another mangled kid's body from an auto wreck.

  Regarding the topic at hand, what a stupid assertion. I don't know about other areas of the country, but here in my town, vets are being given warm welcomes. While the war is becoming more and more unpopular, people are still treating our vets as heros. Banners hanging from homes and announcements in the local paper showing our appreciation.

  It now appears, that the rule with a rod of iron was what the Iraqis needed.

  What an insane comment. A small percentage of peole in Iraq are doing the killing but on the other hand, even with the threat of violence, 75% of Iraqis turned out to vote. How could you even claim that any people deserve or need a ruler like Saddam? What does seem to be missing in Iraq is a patriot to stand up. No matter how much Bush or Cheney might think wish for it, Marines don't make a good peace keeping force. The people of Iraq will have to do that themselves.
• 

  Gill

  Perhaps you haven't seen the comments of deserters who have gone to Canada and are able to report the atrocities they have seen. Even though they are volunteers, they know when something is wrong and when they want no part of it.

  There was a programme here in the UK interviewing the deserters and those who are supporting them in Canada.

  I'll only the of one young man, who was sickened by a slaying, (I came in for the end of his particular interview) and saw his commanding officer light his cigarette on the still burning body of an Iraqi. After the massacres of innocents he had personally seen, he was not going back.

  Could be that US media is not filling the average US citizen in on what is really going on over there?

  Mr Bush wouldn't have wanted you to know about the prison scandal that has totally tarnished the US Army's name. But these things are easy to forget when you want to.

  It reminds me of congnitive dissonance. Let's hang out banners, greet our troops, put pretty smiles on our faces and pretend everything is hunky dory! Well it isn"t!!! Stop denying it and Wake up!
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  Gill

  Did any of you in the US see the interview of them mother of a soldier who was severley traumatised by having to clear out the bodies of Iraqi children slaughter by troops? He was unable to get a nine year old girl out of head.

  EMT workers do not commit any atrocities, accidental shootings, etc themselves. They are there only to HELP and to do all they can. They bear no guilt or responsibility for anything that has happened. That's why you can't compare them with troops with guns there to enforce MR Bush's law.

  It's the Guilt and responsibility, even by association, for what is happening that starts to destroy a mind!
• 

  mrsjones5

  This 'comment' is not meant to be offensive to troops who have been sent to 'Hell' and back. If you choose to take it that way, that's really your problem. I have been watching, reading a lot about the effects of trauma on young men in battle.

  I suppose those of you who have suddenly got your pants in a scrunch over this comment have forgotten what happened to similar young men in the first and second world wars, vietnam Korea, Iraq Part 1.

  Men are not robots. Giving them a gun does not take away their humanity.....fear and terror does damage them.

  Also, not all of them will have been in the highly charged situation that NOW exists in Iraq.

  Mental damage does not show immeadiately. If you chose to ignore their minds, and only see their bodies return then you have NO IDEA what they might have endured.

  Duh!!! The big difference now between those wars and now is a soldier now has more access to mental medical help. Back then soldiers were told to just forget what they had went through and carry on with their lives. I hear on NPR that the veterns who are having the most problems handling memories that have been dregde up by the Iraqi war are WWII vets.

  Gill, somehow you think no one here in the US has thought of this, you're late my boy and not very original.

  Josie