(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
For over forty years now whenever I hear the loud demands, especially by the elected representatives of the people, for tax cuts my first thought has always been the long underfunded Veterans Administration and related to our wars of choice, second is the ever growing, with no objection, defense budgets year to year!
July 5, 2011 – A very small number of Americans are now serving in the military – less than 1 percent. Some are looking for direction; others are inspired by a sense of patriotism or by a family member who served in an earlier war. In the series Who Serves, NPR looks at the troops who have made a decision few others have – to fight in America’s wars.
Just after dawn one day last month, Sgt. Jon Moulder led his patrol of Marines out of Combat Outpost Reilly – basically a collection of tents and sandbags and razor wire – and headed down a dusty road in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
Moulder is a short, compact Marine from Nashville, Tenn. He’s on his fourth combat tour, split evenly between Iraq and Afghanistan.
That’s meant a lot of time away from home.
“Yeah, it’s this whole family thing, deploying and keep leaving,” Moulder says. “I have my personal views and opinions on things.”
snip Moulder’s had his share of near misses. And for him, and many of the Marines, the question is whether it’s all worth it.
Last month in Washington, the debate was about how many troops to bring home.
When asked whether he felt that people back home care about the war, Moulder says, “I think we’re starting to fall to the wayside.”
“This has been going on for so long,” he adds. “Hell, you know, it’s America’s longest conflict running to date. … We’re kind of like the bastard children of our generation. Starting to become unwanted,” Moulder says.
He’s feeling forgotten. And that’s after having survived four roadside bomb explosions. He’s suffered a concussion – he’s having trouble sleeping and he’s seeing a counselor about post-traumatic stress. {read more}
Listen to the Story
There’s even less ‘Sacrifice’ by the country, especially by the wealthy reaping the booty of the war profits, and has been the many years of these conflicts then was the decades coming out of Korea and Vietnam!
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Stop cheering on invasions and occupations of others!!!!!!!
Education, get out of house, get medical, get teeth fixed, don’t know what else to do, there aren’t jobs here.
I hate to say this – but we should have a draft. Or we will continue to have more and more mercenaries fighting here and there.
I can’t even bear to think of those Village punks making money because of the young men and women who went into services, especially out of sense of duty.
I remember after 9/11 – in my medieval lit class – and I was in my early sixties then working for few courses to get degree, a young man I became friends with said to me after 9/11 and everyone was antidraft in class: No, I’ll go. Of course, I’ll go.
Yeah, it’s always the best ones.
Got all those TBI’d, PTSD’d and maimed brothers and sisters coming home. Gotta put them somewhere affordable and preferably out of sight.
The pyschopaths and sociopaths can get good paying work in mercenary companies. Then again, that requires SEAL and Special Forces training.
And if by some miracle they come home relatively undamaged, they can get in line for a Walmart or burger flipper job. The price of gas has ruined pizza and newspaper delivery jobs.
Welcome home. We love you all. Unfortunately, during your tours, your country has gone to Hell and there’s the possibility of a Real Depression coming up in the next three weeks.
To “Adopt a Platoon” — I’m flummoxed!
I hate to say this and just, maybe, you have the same feelings. In my view, our soldiers have been but “fodder” for over 11 years now. No? If not, why did Bush cut back their benefits? Why were they languishing in sub-standard conditions at the once quasi-famous Walter Reed Hospital, taken over by Halliburton, and returning soldiers given inadequate, if any, care? Often, being nearly totally neglected for want of medical personnel!
Our soldiers, from day one, were never provided with adequate personal armor and were/have been folly for roadside bombings in their vehicles for the same reason. They were never ever given adequate care or provisions. Like Rumsfeld said, “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you want!” or some such, to paraphrase. That was a F-U statement if ever.
Soldiers have been deliberately gone “undiagnosed,” such that they were sent back into the war zones with PSTD KNOWINGLY!
I could go on and on and on. There has never been the care for those misled into wars, who truly have believed they were behaving in the best interests of this country. The suicides among these soldiers is incredible! Imagine, truly believing in a “purpose” only to see that so-called “purpose” as a blatant lie — after killing and killing and killing!
And, yes, even if we’re fortunate enough to get them all home — what are we bringing them home to? More homelessness? — uncared for medically? Mentally? Basic essentials?
No, there is no way to fathom what has been done to our soldiers and their plight other than to see them as absolute fodder at the hands of the wealthy and powered!
Thanks.