tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910291709965283166.post6131436532034608635..comments2024-01-14T12:04:49.488-05:00Comments on Behind the Lines: Poetry, War, & Peacemaking: Fort Hood and PTSDPhilip Metreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05449159681282927289noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910291709965283166.post-56287127363559475962009-11-09T09:36:27.752-05:002009-11-09T09:36:27.752-05:00Lyle,
I couldn't agree more; combat not only ...Lyle,<br /><br />I couldn't agree more; combat not only kills others, it wreaks a terrible impact on the warrior. Especially in wars that don't seem to make sense, PSTD and suicide are great risks. It's too soon to know "the whole story" of the Ft. Hood slayings, but it has an all-too-familiar ring.<br /><br />PhilPhilip Metreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05449159681282927289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5910291709965283166.post-47210853639959694492009-11-08T23:12:20.433-05:002009-11-08T23:12:20.433-05:00Of the many statistics and the huge masses of info...Of the many statistics and the huge masses of information that came to light during and after the war in Vietnam, a couple have especially stuck with me:<br /><br />That the number of U.S. Vietnam war veterans who have committed suicide is larger than the number of U.S. military people who were killed in the war itself.<br /><br />And, that during the Vietnam war, an estimated 1600 U.S. military officers were intentionally killed by troops under their command.<br /><br />The reasons for both of the above are surely many and varied, though would ultimately have their root in what inevitably happens to people (to many people, at least) who are put in horrific situations and forced to do horrific things that run contrary to their essential humanity.<br /><br />Mere raw numbers obviously don't tell the full story of such things. Each of the deaths, whether by suicide or the terrible events at Fort Hood this past week, is a human story of vast proportions, which sheds stark light on critical truths about the society and culture we live in.<br /><br />At the outset of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many political and military and corporate "leaders" blithely dismissed the warnings of those of us who were opposed to the wars, and dismissed any possible comparisons with the war in Vietnam. Those who failed to see the similarities were not looking ahead (or looking back) far enough or clearly enough. Those who rushed headlong into the wars -- whatever their varied reasons may have been -- chose to ignore history, and the truth of history is coming back with a horror and a vengeance.Lyle Daggetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10731915540520704368noreply@blogger.com