[Vision2020] vets and PTSD

[James Reynolds]

Mr Ford,

If you shot "only when necessary", I am surprised you are here to talk about 
it. Did you see the whites of their eyes before you shot?

If you and Phil want to romanticize war that is fine. I say you have watched 
too many John Wayne movies and have forgatten reality.

Seventeen years is a child.

James Reynolds


>From: "J Ford" <privatejf32 at hotmail.com>
>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] vets and PTSD
>Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:04:32 -0800
>
>Mr. Reynolds:
>
>As a vet, a Vietnam Vet, I was never trained to drop or sacrifice my love 
>or respect of life and exchange it for a view that a life, any life, in 
>front of me not of my unit was expendable.  Despite what you or others 
>believe, we were never taught to go in and kill, kill, kill.  Rather, we 
>were told to shoot ONLY when necessary and ONLY at those posing a threat to 
>the unit or ourselves.
>
>I am not sure where you have picked up your opinions about the training 
>that the military does, but I can tell you from personal experience, it is 
>NOTHING what you present it to be.  Nothing!
>
>PTSD is not a military-only disorder - many, many rape victims, child abuse 
>victims, spousal-abuse victims, and people who have lost someone close 
>(family member or friend) also suffer from this disorder.  There is a 
>greater number of incidents of those type of situations producing 
>gun-weilding reactionaries than the personnel coming back from in-country 
>action.
>
>Do I support the action in Iraq - no.  But, I have, do and will always 
>support our troops, some of which are members of my immediate family and 
>circle of friends.  And I certainly will not look at them as potential 
>"News at 11" stories of violent reaction to the war when they return.
>
>One other note:  This country does NOT train "children" - we train young 
>adults.
>
>
>J  :]
>
>
>
>
>>From: "James Reynolds" <chapandmaize at hotmail.com>
>>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>>Subject: [Vision2020] vets and PTSD
>>Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 08:01:57 -0800
>>
>>The article Mr. Hansen posted this morning concerning Post Traumatic 
>>Stress Disorder should open our eyes to the full impact of what military 
>>actions entail. A front line soldier coming back to try and fit into 
>>society gets the headlines but he is only a small part of the entire 
>>tragedy. There are no clear cut fixes for PTSD because there has been a 
>>fundamental shift in how that soldier fits into society. He has undergone 
>>training and situations that have reduced the fundamental sacred nature of 
>>life to its biological simplicity and the soldier's own life as worthless.
>>
>>If a child goes through infantry training it is taught that it is no 
>>better than a bug and that its life is forfeit to the country. Our own 
>>boys and girls become expendable objects for our Commander-in-Chief to do 
>>with as he pleases. This training and the final mindset is mandatory for a 
>>good army.
>>
>>If we add the fact that the current war (as Vietnam) has no clear 
>>justification, no clear enemy, and no clear victories what we end up 
>>bringing home are many, many, many messed up young people.
>>
>>We have to put ourselves in the boots of our young soldiers. We need to 
>>think about ourselves being trained to understand our lives are nothing; 
>>put ourselves into a foreign land surrounded by our potential killer every 
>>minute. We have to make the greatest effort to give these young people 
>>their humanity back.
>>
>>A non-justified war means nothing more than a sentence of death or the 
>>loss of humanity to our children without any benefit to the Nation. How 
>>can anyone support such a war? What is our nation becoming? We allow our 
>>children to be sent to death or destruction on the words of liars and by 
>>the deceptions of war profiteers and then allow these same maggots to take 
>>our money from the treasury to line their pockets while declining to allow 
>>the best care for our young soldiers when they come back to us.
>>
>>As was said...The drum beat goes on...
>>
>>James Reynolds
>>
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