Frontline "Heart of a Soldier"

[catmandu57]

The program dealt with the issue of ptsd, how it has affected soldiers through the different wars, and how it is affecting the Iraq veterans now.
One of the men they included commited suicide, hanging himself in his parents basement.
That got me to wondering how many men and women have commited suicide after they've came home?
Seeking the help they need is a stigma in the military and brands you " A Pussy ", plus it follows in your record that you sought counseling, and becomes a red flag for advancement.
If they replay this in your area watch it, it's well worth the time.

[MountainLaurel]

1. Chat with the producer

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/05/style_frontline030205.htm

[Bigmack]

2. Watched it!

How enormously depressing. When we came back from Vietnam, nobody payed much attention to us... no therapy... no recognition that mental disorders might be part of the war experience.

Now, at least the military is acknowledging that there may be a problem.

Problem? Shit, the next few years are going to be a living hell for those people coming home from that war.

I read that Marines in the Pacific in WWII were in combat for an average of 6 weeks. (High casualties, but short time.) Marines in Vietnam were there for 13 months. (Long time period, but relatively little combat time.) These troops in the Iraq Goatfuck are there for long, indeterminate time periods, with threats and/or combat every day.

These kids - and old people too, in the Bushwar model - will have more trouble than we ever had.... and with about the same level of support.

Wolfowitz and Perle probably just don't understand why American troops are such pussies. Wolfie and The Walking Corpse learned all about war from those Tom Clancy novels, and nobody ever got PTSD in them.