Better watch out for those crazy veterans, way OT

[scaredyclassic]

The New York Times published a special report today, announcing that it has uncovered 121 cases of homicides committed by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan (Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles). These cases are not tracked by the Pentagon nor by the Justice Department, and the veterans are prosecuted in civilian courts. The report states that 121 is likely a lower number than the actual number of killings by combat veterans, as not all cases are reported publicly or in detail.

The article opens with the disturbing story of Matthew Sepi, a 20 year old Iraq combat veteran who ventured out to a 7-Eleven one night to purchase alcohol to help him sleep. Not yet old enough to purchase alcohol legally, he paid someone to buy him beer. Living in a dangerous neighborhood and military-trained, Mathew was carrying a concealed AK-47, which he felt he needed for protection.

As Mr. Sepi started home, two gang members, both large and both armed, stepped out of the darkness. Mr. Sepi said in an interview that he spied the butt of a gun, heard a boom, saw a flash and “just snapped.”

In the end, one gang member lay dead, bleeding onto the pavement. The other was wounded. And Mr. Sepi fled, “breaking contact” with the enemy, as he later described it. With his rifle raised, he crept home, loaded 180 rounds of ammunition into his car and drove until police lights flashed behind him.

“Who did I take fire from?” he asked urgently. Wearing his Army camouflage pants, the diminutive young man said he had been ambushed and then instinctively “engaged the targets.” He shook. He also cried.

According to the New York Times, similar scenarios have played out in towns across the country in the last 7 years. The Times reports that the stress of deployment and the trauma of combat, combined with other factors such as alcohol and family problems, appear to “set the stage” for this type of violence when some veterans return to civilian life.

Three-quarters of these veterans were still in the military at the time of the killing.
More than half the killings involved guns, and the rest were stabbings, beatings, strangulations and bathtub drownings.
Twenty-five offenders faced murder, manslaughter or homicide charges for fatal car crashes resulting from drunken, reckless or suicidal driving.
About a third of the victims were spouses, girlfriends, children or other relatives.
A quarter of the victims were fellow service members.
The Times discovered an 89% increase in killings by veterans during the present wartime period, as compared to the six years before the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and reports that this “increase occurred even though there have been fewer troops stationed in the United States in the last six years and the American homicide rate has been, on average, lower”.
There is only one woman among the 121 offenders, and most of these veterans had no criminal history. In contrast, most civilians convicted of homicide have some criminal history.

Although the percentage of combat veterans who actually kill civilians upon their return home is extremely small, the report notes that these tragedies constitute a shadow or echo of the profound effects of untreated Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome that plague many, many veterans of the current war, and more commonly take the form of deepening debt, alcoholism, domestic abuse, etc.

In keeping with previous posts about military recruitment strategies that target minority and low-income youth, I think this report illustrates the toll that combat can take on a person, which is certainly *not* a part of the glamorous image the military portrays in its advertising campaigns. The Times also reported that few of these 121 received more than a cursory mental health screening before return to the civilian world, and quoted expert psychologists who maintain that PTSS is extremely treatable if properly diagnosed.

If the military doesn’t have a commitment to mental health screening and treatment for those who have served in the most trying and dangerous atmosphere that exists in our modern world, and for whom the challenges to re-assimilation are well-documented, who can argue that military service is a viable “choice” that youth with few opportunities would opt for even if, for example, they could afford colleg

[scaredyclassic]

in my opinion, and this is just an opinion, you have to be a little crazy to go to fight an unnecessary war. if we were truly defending our country there would be no hesitation for me to fight, or to send my chidlrne to fight, or for all of our leaders to send their chidlren to fight. these are no wars to defend the country. they’re wars to defend our interests. and you have to be very principled, very patriotic, and perhaps a bit mad to fight and die, or to send your childrne to die, for a principle as abstract as our interests, particularly when those interests don’t include “freedom”….

no slur on veters generally. ‘on average” veters are good people struggling with a bad situation. but i think disproportionately they have mental effects others don.t can we agree violent war change syou? can we agree it probably doesnt change you for the better? i dind’t mean theyr’e all crazy. but it’s a crazy situation.

[scaredyclassic]

in my opinion, and this is just an opinion, you have to be a little crazy to go to fight an unnecessary war. if we were truly defending our country there would be no hesitation for me to fight, or to send my chidlrne to fight, or for all of our leaders to send their chidlren to fight. these are no wars to defend the country. they’re wars to defend our interests. and you have to be very principled, very patriotic, and perhaps a bit mad to fight and die, or to send your childrne to die, for a principle as abstract as our interests, particularly when those interests don’t include “freedom”….

no slur on veters generally. ‘on average” veters are good people struggling with a bad situation. but i think disproportionately they have mental effects others don.t can we agree violent war change syou? can we agree it probably doesnt change you for the better? i dind’t mean theyr’e all crazy. but it’s a crazy situation.

[scaredyclassic]

in my opinion, and this is just an opinion, you have to be a little crazy to go to fight an unnecessary war. if we were truly defending our country there would be no hesitation for me to fight, or to send my chidlrne to fight, or for all of our leaders to send their chidlren to fight. these are no wars to defend the country. they’re wars to defend our interests. and you have to be very principled, very patriotic, and perhaps a bit mad to fight and die, or to send your childrne to die, for a principle as abstract as our interests, particularly when those interests don’t include “freedom”….

no slur on veters generally. ‘on average” veters are good people struggling with a bad situation. but i think disproportionately they have mental effects others don.t can we agree violent war change syou? can we agree it probably doesnt change you for the better? i dind’t mean theyr’e all crazy. but it’s a crazy situation.

[scaredyclassic]

in my opinion, and this is just an opinion, you have to be a little crazy to go to fight an unnecessary war. if we were truly defending our country there would be no hesitation for me to fight, or to send my chidlrne to fight, or for all of our leaders to send their chidlren to fight. these are no wars to defend the country. they’re wars to defend our interests. and you have to be very principled, very patriotic, and perhaps a bit mad to fight and die, or to send your childrne to die, for a principle as abstract as our interests, particularly when those interests don’t include “freedom”….

no slur on veters generally. ‘on average” veters are good people struggling with a bad situation. but i think disproportionately they have mental effects others don.t can we agree violent war change syou? can we agree it probably doesnt change you for the better? i dind’t mean theyr’e all crazy. but it’s a crazy situation.

[scaredyclassic]

in my opinion, and this is just an opinion, you have to be a little crazy to go to fight an unnecessary war. if we were truly defending our country there would be no hesitation for me to fight, or to send my chidlrne to fight, or for all of our leaders to send their chidlren to fight. these are no wars to defend the country. they’re wars to defend our interests. and you have to be very principled, very patriotic, and perhaps a bit mad to fight and die, or to send your childrne to die, for a principle as abstract as our interests, particularly when those interests don’t include “freedom”….

no slur on veters generally. ‘on average” veters are good people struggling with a bad situation. but i think disproportionately they have mental effects others don.t can we agree violent war change syou? can we agree it probably doesnt change you for the better? i dind’t mean theyr’e all crazy. but it’s a crazy situation.

[scaredyclassic]

i never mean to imply that there were groups of disaffected vets intending to overthrow the country.

all im saying is they can be scary.

this is an old problem.

COOL HAND LUKE….

disaffected vet.

tragic. heroic. and perceived to be needed to be controlled by society.

the same difficulty of returning wartime vets and how to reintegrate them is an old old problem…war is as anti-social a behavior as it gets…

[scaredyclassic]

i never mean to imply that there were groups of disaffected vets intending to overthrow the country.

all im saying is they can be scary.

this is an old problem.

COOL HAND LUKE….

disaffected vet.

tragic. heroic. and perceived to be needed to be controlled by society.

the same difficulty of returning wartime vets and how to reintegrate them is an old old problem…war is as anti-social a behavior as it gets…

[scaredyclassic]

i never mean to imply that there were groups of disaffected vets intending to overthrow the country.

all im saying is they can be scary.

this is an old problem.

COOL HAND LUKE….

disaffected vet.

tragic. heroic. and perceived to be needed to be controlled by society.

the same difficulty of returning wartime vets and how to reintegrate them is an old old problem…war is as anti-social a behavior as it gets…

[scaredyclassic]

i never mean to imply that there were groups of disaffected vets intending to overthrow the country.

all im saying is they can be scary.

this is an old problem.

COOL HAND LUKE….

disaffected vet.

tragic. heroic. and perceived to be needed to be controlled by society.

the same difficulty of returning wartime vets and how to reintegrate them is an old old problem…war is as anti-social a behavior as it gets…

[scaredyclassic]

i never mean to imply that there were groups of disaffected vets intending to overthrow the country.

all im saying is they can be scary.

this is an old problem.

COOL HAND LUKE….

disaffected vet.

tragic. heroic. and perceived to be needed to be controlled by society.

the same difficulty of returning wartime vets and how to reintegrate them is an old old problem…war is as anti-social a behavior as it gets…

[scaredyclassic]

.
allan said:
I spent three years in a combat zone. I returned home after a medical discharge and have been a model citizen since. I have friends that are former SOF operators, including Rangers, SEALs and Special Forces. If we, as a group, decided we were going on a tear, we’d be a nightmare for your average metro police department.

We wouldn’t. You know why? We took an oath to defend this country and we respect America too much to even contemplate such acts.
+++++++++++

ummm…that statement is a little scary. you won’t go on a murderous rampage because you ‘respect ” america too much? of all the reasons not to go ona murderousrampage, or “tear” or whatever “tear” means to you, respect for america is the least comforting or compeling reason I can think of. First because a country can change for good and bad, and levels of respect may change among people, based on hwo they are treated. people promise to love honor and respect their spouses forever, and that doesn’t work out,a nd while one may always love their country, they may not always respect it or its actions.

second, from a moral point of view, there are far more assuring and compelling reasons not to go ona “tear”…like…it’s always wrong to kill others not in war? like, religious moorings? like, love they neighbor as they self. or hell, i don’t know…it’s just the right thing to do, regardless of how you feel about your particulr country ant that aprticular point in time…….but luckily, all this violent capacity is held in check by “respect”.

i know im probably not getting to what you meant. but it is worrisome. there’s a lot of male energy coming back and not enough cop jobs to absorb them all…

[scaredyclassic]

.
allan said:
I spent three years in a combat zone. I returned home after a medical discharge and have been a model citizen since. I have friends that are former SOF operators, including Rangers, SEALs and Special Forces. If we, as a group, decided we were going on a tear, we’d be a nightmare for your average metro police department.

We wouldn’t. You know why? We took an oath to defend this country and we respect America too much to even contemplate such acts.
+++++++++++

ummm…that statement is a little scary. you won’t go on a murderous rampage because you ‘respect ” america too much? of all the reasons not to go ona murderousrampage, or “tear” or whatever “tear” means to you, respect for america is the least comforting or compeling reason I can think of. First because a country can change for good and bad, and levels of respect may change among people, based on hwo they are treated. people promise to love honor and respect their spouses forever, and that doesn’t work out,a nd while one may always love their country, they may not always respect it or its actions.

second, from a moral point of view, there are far more assuring and compelling reasons not to go ona “tear”…like…it’s always wrong to kill others not in war? like, religious moorings? like, love they neighbor as they self. or hell, i don’t know…it’s just the right thing to do, regardless of how you feel about your particulr country ant that aprticular point in time…….but luckily, all this violent capacity is held in check by “respect”.

i know im probably not getting to what you meant. but it is worrisome. there’s a lot of male energy coming back and not enough cop jobs to absorb them all…

[scaredyclassic]

.
allan said:
I spent three years in a combat zone. I returned home after a medical discharge and have been a model citizen since. I have friends that are former SOF operators, including Rangers, SEALs and Special Forces. If we, as a group, decided we were going on a tear, we’d be a nightmare for your average metro police department.

We wouldn’t. You know why? We took an oath to defend this country and we respect America too much to even contemplate such acts.
+++++++++++

ummm…that statement is a little scary. you won’t go on a murderous rampage because you ‘respect ” america too much? of all the reasons not to go ona murderousrampage, or “tear” or whatever “tear” means to you, respect for america is the least comforting or compeling reason I can think of. First because a country can change for good and bad, and levels of respect may change among people, based on hwo they are treated. people promise to love honor and respect their spouses forever, and that doesn’t work out,a nd while one may always love their country, they may not always respect it or its actions.

second, from a moral point of view, there are far more assuring and compelling reasons not to go ona “tear”…like…it’s always wrong to kill others not in war? like, religious moorings? like, love they neighbor as they self. or hell, i don’t know…it’s just the right thing to do, regardless of how you feel about your particulr country ant that aprticular point in time…….but luckily, all this violent capacity is held in check by “respect”.

i know im probably not getting to what you meant. but it is worrisome. there’s a lot of male energy coming back and not enough cop jobs to absorb them all…

[scaredyclassic]

.
allan said:
I spent three years in a combat zone. I returned home after a medical discharge and have been a model citizen since. I have friends that are former SOF operators, including Rangers, SEALs and Special Forces. If we, as a group, decided we were going on a tear, we’d be a nightmare for your average metro police department.

We wouldn’t. You know why? We took an oath to defend this country and we respect America too much to even contemplate such acts.
+++++++++++

ummm…that statement is a little scary. you won’t go on a murderous rampage because you ‘respect ” america too much? of all the reasons not to go ona murderousrampage, or “tear” or whatever “tear” means to you, respect for america is the least comforting or compeling reason I can think of. First because a country can change for good and bad, and levels of respect may change among people, based on hwo they are treated. people promise to love honor and respect their spouses forever, and that doesn’t work out,a nd while one may always love their country, they may not always respect it or its actions.

second, from a moral point of view, there are far more assuring and compelling reasons not to go ona “tear”…like…it’s always wrong to kill others not in war? like, religious moorings? like, love they neighbor as they self. or hell, i don’t know…it’s just the right thing to do, regardless of how you feel about your particulr country ant that aprticular point in time…….but luckily, all this violent capacity is held in check by “respect”.

i know im probably not getting to what you meant. but it is worrisome. there’s a lot of male energy coming back and not enough cop jobs to absorb them all…

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