The Latest Casualty Of War, Avoiding The Cost Of Ptsd For What Price?

[reddevil1111]

http://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-suspects-had-2010-killing-case-004426173.html

The Military will tell vets to medicate and still asks them to be in combat while on PTSD medication. The real surprise is the lack of care the military wants to provide.
I remain shocked at the attitude that Vets and troops still serving are disposable. Not what the mantra was when I served. I didnt realize the lie untill far to late myself. Maybe I still dont.

I am going out on a limb here but maybe its time for America to not be in any more wars for a while. No overseas bases. Lets get our own affairs straightened out before we play cops for the rest of the world.

 

[Anglesachse]

I think the problem with that red mate, is that if the US pull out of everywhere and stopped playing "World Police" then they would have to sit and deal with the shit in your own country, and maybe it is just how I see it, but the US has never been good at dealing with its own problems.

If I don`t look at it, then I can`t see it, then it doesn`t exist sort of thing. Standing up and saying "shit we realy f*cked that up didn`t we" just isnt the American way. Us brits have had hundreds of years practice at f*cking it up and coping and we are still learning today. Don`t get me wrong, I ain`t puting blighty down, it`s just it`s like we are jack of all trades but master of none, if you know what I mean. In the US, the US has to be the best, and at everything to boot. which nobody can be.

Maybe one of the biggest problems is the Big corporations who are willing to walk over anybody to get that dollar more.

I didn`t think I was expendable when I joined, but looking at it, if we weren`t then you wouldn`t be able to go to war. One can only hope that it is for a greater cause.

But yes you are right, the US needs to get it`s own affairs in order.

 

[Jimmy1]

I think one of the biggest problems in the world is the UN. I saw this most in East Timor. They move in and provide a false economy. They employ interpreters and pay them ridiculous amounts. There are so many extra people that resteraunts and other services open. I also saw the jails fill up full of the criminals.
Then they move out. The jobs cease, the buisnesses close, and there is no more income. The screws and the jail are no longer paid so there is breakouts and crime and violence then starts increasing.

But yes, what you said for the US also can be said for all the countries sending troops. If our troops were brought home there would be mass discharges from the defence force because there would be no extra pay and the budget would be cut. Then if there were altercations in our back yard there would be problems.

 

[reddevil1111]

Here in the US we have open Borders. Yes we have areas we monitor and catch illegal crossers but even the border agents admit anyone can get across if the want to. And millions in drug $ and Drugs manage every day.
Now I am going to get kinda political here so skip the rest if you like.

We have a president who wants to get rid of guns completly from the public. The government fails to go after the criminals who use (illegally) guns while commiting crimes. The go to jail but the amount of gun laws we currently have allow an armed felon (previous felon) who uses a gun in a robbery to get an extra year for every bullet in the weapon. And 10 years for the possesion of the weapon as well. But that does not happen. The reason? they want that criminal back out offending again to drive up the crime numbers to help force the issue.
I am sure you have heard of project gunrunner. The failed attempt to tell the citizens of the US that we and our guns were the real cause of the gun and drug crimes in Mexico. Then they show tables of the captured weapons. Its rpg's, .30 and .50 cal machine guns and boxes of grenades. Sorry, not something we sell openly here. So its just lies to get what they want.

We spend so much money fighting the war on drugs. I helped with that fight. I know if they wanted to stop the flow of drugs they could. It could be like turning off the tap water if the effort was made. And the overall cost would be less than what is spent now to fight drugs and drug crime. Problem? It serves them... our govenment seizes money,property and personal goods and resells them for profit. So the "war" has a profit to it. Why would they kill a golden goose?

I admit you cant bury your head in the sand and ignore the world completly. But F--K the UN as its useless. And the U.S. needs to step away from a lot- say 70-80% of its overseas bases. We no longer need them for our operations and we can save a lot of cash and manpower if most of the troops can come back. We dont need to stick our nose into so many conflicts as we do. I think the main reason we do is corporate wealth. The makers of the Bombs,missles, aircraft... they profit from the sales to our govt. as well as the countries we "help". They have far to much infulance on our elected officials.

I dont think we can stop 100% of the overseas operations but we could cut a lot of them back. The only reason the U.S. became involved in the middle east was oil in the 40's. We had steered clear previously. I would love to see my country find better solutions and reduce the oil we consume. I know the rest of the world will remain addicted to it but we need to make some massive measures real soon or we will be caught with no viable answers and a big thirst.

We have within the last 4 years doubled the national debt. Its so out of control. And our $ is no longer backed by gold. Hiperinflation could occur very easily.

What I am driving at is we seem to have our heads in the sand already. If we cant resolve our massive unemployment and debt how can we expect to continue being the worlds police? And what value is there in doing it? We are picked apart for trying to help and do the right things. And we cant admit our errors as well. I get upset that the vets here are not going to get what was promised to them. The proper care cant be afforded. Once you are out of the American Military, you can expect the minimum of help and what you do get seems to be substandard. Its sad.

 

[JarHed]

I think it comes from a statement of the Budda and I'm paraphrasing here; First you have to get yourself in order before you can help another. The US could learn from this statement. We spend Billions, that's Billions with a B overseas but have no money here at home for what is needed for America and the American people.

I don't know is it will ever change, I would hope so, but don't hold out any real faith that it will.

It's the first time in American history that we're at war in so many places and our economy is in the dumper. It just doesn't make any sense to me. We have a laundry list of serious problems here and I won't go into any of them now.

I do know one thing; Soldiers have always been expendable. When the job needs to get done we send in the troops no matter what the cost is to them in a personal way. That will never change. It's the cost of war.

Sun-Tzu stated that before you start a war, you must ask the question; what is the purpose of it and what will be gained by it. Modern military leaders, and more likely politicians, could benefit by the wisdom of a general from thousands of years ago.

Jar