[Vision2020] vets and PTSD

Tue Jan 24 15:07:37 PST 2006

YOU need to get real.  Seventeen yr. olds are a rarity, not a norm.

And you need to remember that John Wayne died in the "Green Beret" movie - 
while saving a "native child" from the enemy.

No one is romanticizing anything.  Things were tough, rough and at points 
scary as hell; but we were still not told "open fire on whomever".

I gather by your sentiments you never served.  Perhaps you need to leave the 
memories to those that actually served.

J  :]

>From: "James Reynolds" <chapandmaize at hotmail.com>
>To: privatejf32 at hotmail.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] vets and PTSD
>Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:23:15 -0800
>
>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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