is this really going on?

[actsnoblemartin]

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/424/index.html

[Gaffer]

It's a pbs site, take it with a grain of salt.

[actsnoblemartin]

It's a pbs site, take it with a grain of salt.

I know :laugh2:, but i thought the veterans of this site would know more then me on this subject

[emmett]

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/424/index.html


I'm gonna take a stab at an answer for you.



Yes .............and...............No!



It is hard to decipher the real from the unreal when it comes to this topic. For those of us who were in the military we saw both. Plenty of cases of both. I couldn't count how many whinny little bastards there were in the navy. I remember hearing almost daily the joke "FTN" (Fuck the Navy) and so forth. They were usually coming from the mouths of the guys who displayed other characteristics of bad military bearing though. Ugly uniforms, unshined shoes and poor quality work usually went along with these cats.

I ran into one guy I was in the Navy with over thirty years ago and he was parading around asif he was some kind of fucking war hero with these crazy stories about being on a "riverboat extraction team". He had cooked up this malarcky I assume to impress people. He was a little deck bitch who shined brightwork and hid in the line locker when I knew him. I came across him at the bike rally in Daytona. We were on the same ship for two years. I seem to remember him being on restiction all the time and getting into trouble. I ought to publish his name but I won't.

..............It's tempting though..............

Nah............


ah..........................


Nah............



On a serious note I couldn't do that. He's the one that has to live with it....not me.



There are several thousands of legitimate cases of different stress related and injury related damage to service member's. It varies. Determining who is very hard to do. If everyone who pranced in and said they were experiencing a stress disorder was taken at their word, well Martin......there would be some pretty wild resources going out the window.

The problem is compunded by the false claims. Our service members who suffered "real" injuries, both physically and mentally deserve to be treated with the best possible care that can be afforded them. Most were damaged at a time in their lives when they were young and had an entire life ahead of them. Many thousands have suffered horrible debilitating and disconfiguring injuries that have left them miserable for the rest of their lives. Ironically I find that a large percentage of those wonderful human beings are proud of what they did.

My eyes water up as I write this because I think of all the guys I knew in high school who went to Viet Nam to fight a war that really didn't have much interest to the average person. We almost ignored it in our daily lives. I was too young to go as it ended in 75 (well the last withdrawls) when I was 16. I very well may have dodged a bullet......excuse the pun. I did as I mentioned though have alot of friends who went and some got killed. Some others were injured.

The "syndrone" illnesses are such that only a fighting soldier can tell you about. I was a peace time sailor and saw very little of anything to ever be concerned about in my 4 years in the Navy,......other than the aftermath meaning guys who re-enlisted and most of my knowledge of war came from them. I did meet many whom I thought to have been "affected" who were didn't seem to be getting any specialized treatment or counseling or anything. Alot of them just carried on as if nothing extraordinary had happened to them. Alot of times, it's pride that does not allow a man to admit to others....or himself....that he has been damaged. Alot of the soldiers....and sailors (there were alot of sailors killed in Viet Nam too) felt guilty about bringing their injuries to light because they felt they would be using services that their buddies needed worse. It seems ironic I know....but one thing that that particular war did was adhere like glue, the souls of those men who undertook such a terrible experience and endured it.

I hang around a bunch of bikers and am in organizations associated with them. One is as you may have seen me mention....is the Patriot Guard. I'm sure you are familiar with what we do. I also served as legislative director for ABATE of Ga's District 2 for 6 years and had alot of interaction with military related bike clubs and organizations. They stick together. Another way to see this is the American Legion. The men really respect each others contributions to a point that really makes you wonder how we can't all be this way. Being tried in that fashion seems to bring out some of the better qualities in man. I think it is due in large part to their being thankful to be alive and having just a general respect for life.

Politicians have been getting into wars that young men fight for centuries. It hasn't changed much. We always seem to figure out a reason to hate someone enough to want to kill them. Kill their society, kill their ideals. When we do this however we send innocent young men to do the dirty work. If they are damaged as a result of this....well....we find it only too easy to write it off as ...his duty. Sometimes.....he believes it!

If this subject touches you Martin and you feel it is important...Take time away from this message board which isn't really that important and write your legislators and Senators. Tell them you want the best fucking care our country is able to provide our soldiers. If you aren't satisfied with their response you can go a step further and volunteer. You can drive a veteran to an appointment, you can go to one's house and just tell him that you appreciate his service, shake his hand or you can do one number of many things thast orthers don't take the time to do and make it that much easier for our country to meet it's overwhelming burden of providing care for them.

I will close with this. I hope everybody reads this because I can't keep it in anymore. You struck my nerve Martin and I appreciate it. Psychoblues! Yes Psycho, you all know him. I know that there are many of you who are veterans on this board and I respect you all but I have a special place for Psycho as I am somewhat familiar with his history. I have promised not to divuldge what I became privy to learn and I will respect him in that regard. You may notice that he and I are on completely opposite ends of the street but you will find NO posts where either of us were ever disrespectfully agressive with the other. While David may get under some of your skins from time to time he is a fine damn individual. If you folks only knew you would be shocked! His commitment to veterans and some of the work he has done is really worthy of honorable mention. AND.....justy so you guys who dissed him on the other board..............he is a decorated soldier! I'll admit...he does tend to get "out there" fromtime to time but what I tell you is the absolute truth. He'll never let any of us know who he is so don't waste yopur time.

There are alot of David's out there. People who take the time to care. You know..we've changed alot in thirty years. I've watched the people when I attend funerals. Especially the older ones..you know...a generation ahead of me or so. Sometimes it is their first encounter with a bunch of scary looking biker cats. Then you will notice one of the older guys looking over the insignia's on one of the jackets or something and all of a sudden the ice is broken. All it took was a realization that the man standing there in that ugly looking biker get-up and the man standing there in that three piece funeral suit are of the same....bound together by something I can't nor anyone alse can explain. Before you know it they are off together in a corner of the field or something. They look directly into one another's eyes when they speak. I've watched them embrace one another. It looks like a dog and a cat. There appears to be no common denominator between them except what I have mentioned.

I guess my point is that how can anyone really judge anybody who has been to war.? Who knows their sufferage? How do we determine a level 1, 2 or 3 or whatever. How do we evaluate the repercussions of their personal hell?

WE AVOID WAR AT ALL COSTS - THAT's HOW!!!!!


Sorry so long winded. Good night everybody!

[Gaffer]

Hard to follow what Emmett said. He's right about everybody being different with different experiences. And there are a lot of phonies out there trying to get something for nothing or just trying to impress people. Those have to be weeded out.

I am proud of my service, but I'll be the first to say I had FTA written on my helmet. Everyone has different experiences and everyone deals with them differently. Some whine and complain, others just deal with it and move on. Most often the whiners are the ones who did the least.

[Psychoblues]

Hurts your head, doesn't it, marteen?!?!?!???!?!??!?!?!

Have another drink of the koolaid.

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute:

[actsnoblemartin]

what is that supposed to mean :poke:


Hurts your head, doesn't it, marteen?!?!?!???!?!??!?!?!

Have another drink of the koolaid.

:salute::cheers2::clap::laugh2::cheers2::salute: