What is so surprising about combat soldiers and stress? Since the Vietnam war the military has delighted in taking lower-class (education and economic position) and teen-agers and calling them soldiers. The average age of an experienced combat soldier in Vietnam was 19. From what Ive seen of the soldiers we have today its hardly any different. People just out of high school or who should be are easily impressed by authority figures with the right words. They are malleable, but as the drug experiments for the super-soldier of the late 1960′s showed,malleability is just good enough to get a warm body to fight, but once that warm young weak-minded body gets put through stress it wasn’t prepared for or aged enough in experience to handle well, it snaps and hurts itself.

Dear Friend, As always I am touched when hearing or viewing unpleasant statistics involving soldiers. As a former soldier and a non-commission officer, I am compelled to be apart of the solution, ( if you will ). I currently reside in Hinesville, Georgia which is the home of Fort Stewart , ” the third infintry division “. I am and have been applying for funding to operate a children and adult learning and business center. the service and reasorces that i will provide will make a big impact on the life of the soliders. I will do my part by helping soldiers solve problems that exist in the home,finance and the daily stress at work.In the military community problems that exist befor deployment contribute to the bulk of statistics. Altho I am not a certified professional I am very much qualified in the fields of psychological distress, mental health and combat stress.Most importantly I know first hand on how it feels like to be a statistic and where to look for the problems. If you have any information or know of support groups that can provide insight or resources to help build this foundation It would be very much welcomed. And god wrought special miracles by the hands of paul. -acts 19:11

I think this topic should play a huge part in the next election!These men and woman will be a part of our communities.It affects all.We can’t even begin to imagine what they have seen and endured.I commend you georgia!!And you have helped me to see we can all do our part!Sometimes it’s not about degree’s,it’s about love and compassion,friendship and honor.We have to reach out,they won’t.Some can’t.Remember,they are trained to be tough,show no emotions.They haven’t let us down and we can’t let them down!

I am not intimately connected to the Army and their way of doing business, but I have spent the last 30 years of my life connected to the Navy in one role or another. I have served on active duty, am a Navy wife and the mother of a Navy submarine sailor. My husband is currently training in a leadership role for ground forces in Iraq. I am not sure where your experts got their information, but my husband and his platoon have been medically and psychologically screened from the very beginning of this process, and the screening continues now as they train. I will also take exception to the comment that our military are young and uneducated. My husband, son and I all enlisted from college. I turned 25 in Boot Camp. My son specialized in Nuclear Power, and my husband is an Electronics Technician. I served as a certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor. We served not because it was the only way we could make a living, but rather because we feel a God given need to serve the country we love. In my work as a counselor I found that most sailors that I treated came into the service with their addiction already blooming. The military was not the cause of their problem, and we did not discharge anyone without at least offering them treatment first.When I ask my husband what they want from home, the answer is always the same….Our prayers and our support! Perhaps part of the problem with returning soldiers today is a the lack of support they feel from their country. The embattled politicians and media do nothing to give them the sense that their contribution is appreciated. There is a current campaign going on that has the ability to put a visual slant on our support for our military. I invite all to join in to this non-partisan gesture. It will not cost anything and is easy to remember…We are calling this Red Fridays, and we hope to have all Americans joining in! Just go to your closet each Friday and put on something Red. This is our message to our military..We love them and we care for them, and we will make a small adjustment in our wardrobes until all are home safe!Our military today is bright, well trained and dedicated. If we all find ways to communicate our love and concern to them I believe we will do much towards gaining ground in the recovery from this and all combat related issues our country will face. Prayer is critical, and there are numerous programs set up to send words and tokens of our support to our troops overseas. Find one of these programs and dedicate some of your effort and time to it. Find a service member and take a moment to thank them and their family for the sacrifices they make every day for you. It will be worth more than you can imagine!! God bless you all, and God Bless America!!

This has to stop ! I COME from foreign born,HALF LATINAMERICAN AND HALF GERMAN , Us Permanente Resident AND UNited States Citizens all the family is now.others born here in America. In our lineage we only HAVE HAD Generals Luitenants , captains and all type of rangs .Death and dissaPearance of fAMILY members in the military is hard if not depressing and it CAUSE a lot of emotional damages to the familys . Military in prisions capture tortured as sodomyze theN torture them and even tortured the dignity and physically the ABUSE DONE TO THEM cannot even be written downhere. America fights FOR wars that are not their wars, once they put someone in power the ones IN power forget theIR committment to the UNITED States of America,they are far numerous ina war THATits ALLMOST culturallY LOST ,they the enemy of the Americans fight to an ENEMY that belongs to the times of the Hunts of Atila the great ,of warriors in their own system with deep hatred religiouslly physically and economically AGAINST AMERICA . Never America of Protestant principles and of other democractic principles can give theIR lives for other Nations that first of all are not Protestants, whose fAITH belongs to different emblems, whose ancestors are of different race as are moslems, chinese, and or arabs moslems,of different languages,budist you name it but not English, not of faith Protestant and or Catholic, not OF the same race, as these are anglo -saxon and the other arabs chinese.WHICH COEM TO CREATE ANOTHER TYPE OF INTERNATIONAL WARFARE AND EVEN CREATE ANOTHER TYPE OF RACE LIKE WHEN VIETNAM FOUGHT LOTSOF GI CHILDRNE WERE LEFT ABANDONED THERE WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW ? AMERICA SHOULD NOT GET INVOLVE IN OTHER FOREIGN COUNTRIES AFFAIRES SPECIALLY INTERNATIONAL ONLY IF THEY TOUCH UNITED STATES INTEREST!! you name it ..it is a war that is not equal..is it just for the oil refineries is it because others like Irak Leader BECAME abusive of power and expansionist ? Do the americAN soldiers deserve to die the way they are butcher in a filthy dirty war ? I beliEve American can only give support in the form of airplanes, let the others practice take MILITARY COURSES, LET THEM FIGHT THEIR OWN WARS ONLY HELPED THEM WITH TRAINING, AND LOANS INTERNATIONAL MILITARY LOANS, WHCIH THEY HAVE TO PAY BACK AT INTEREST, let them FIGHT THEIR OWN WAR, THEY SHOULD TRAINED THEIR SOLDIERS THEIR PEOPLE , LIKE THE JEWISH THAT TRAIN THEIR OWN PEOPLE ,IF AND ONLY IF AMERICA IS THREAT DIRECTLY THEN AMERICA SHOULD INTERVENE..UP TO THIS POINT GOD KNOWS WHERE IS BINLADIN??? YET MEANTIME THE ARAB -MOSLEM TERRORIST ARE IN THE BORDERS OF ARGENTINA BRAZIL AND VENEZEUELA BACKED BY VENEZUELA AND CASTRO IN THE REGIONS OF THE AMAZONS TRAINING THEMSELVES TO OVERTAKE ALL OF LATINAMERICA AND BECOME THE RIVALS OF USA IN THE POLITICAL AND MILITARY INTERNATIONAL ARENA. CERTAIN SOLDIERS TRAINED FOR WORLDWIDE WARS AND CONFRONTATIONS AS GROUPS TRAINED SO AS TO TRAINED OTHERS AND OR MERCENARIES OK THEY LET THEM GO TO THE WAR.. WHEN I REFLECT I BELIVE WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE LEADERS OR PRESIDENTS OF THE USA DONT HAVE THEIR OWN CHILDREN AS MEN IN THE WAR FOR EXAMPLE THE ACTUAL PRESIDENT HE DOES NOT HAVE A BOY A MAN A SON IN THE MILITARY,WHERE EH CAN THEN FEEL THE PAIN THAT OTHERS FEEL FOR THESE AMERICAN SOLDIERS LOST IN A WAR THAT DOE SNOT MAKE SENSE INITS TRUE MEANING , HE ONLY HAS GIRLS TWINS AS THEIR DAUGHTERS ..PERHAPS IF THE PRESIDENT HAD A SON IN THE MILITARY HE WOULD THINK MANY TIMES BEFORE DEPLOYING HIS MEN TO BE SLAUGHTERED BY THE OPPONENTS IN A WAR THAT AT THE END ITS ONLY THEIRS. IS BETTER TO FREEZE BINLADIN ASSETS AROUND THE WORLD AND START A LEGAL BATTLE IN AN COURT INTERNATIONALLIKE THE HAGUE THE WAY THEY DID WITH HITLER AND HISMILITARY ,THEN MATTERS WILL BE RESPONDING , THINGS WILL FALL INTO PLACE,THEN SENDING AL THESE SOLDIERS TO BE KILLED IN A NEVER ENDING INTERNATIONAL WARS,WHERE NOT EVEN THE LAST NAMES OF THE MOSLEMS ARE RELATED BY HISTORY TO THE AMERICANS REMEMBER IF ENGLAND WAS TO BE ATTACKED TOMORROW I CAN UNDERSTAND USA RESPONDING BUT THESE ARE PEOPLE MILLIONS OF THEM WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT DO NOT EAT HOT DOGS AND OR HAVETHANKSGIVING, THEY HAVE RAMMADAN THEIR CULTURE IS DIFFERENT WHEN AMERICA UNDERSTAND THAT THEY MUST LEAVE AND RESPECT OTHERS CULTURE AND RELIGIONS AND NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THIER ALLEGATIONS THEY SAY THEY WANTFREEDOM AND THEY SAY SEND ME THE AMERICANS SOLDIERS ,BUT THE ANSWER SHOUDL BE NO ..I WILL HELP YOU WITH WHAT YOU NEED BUT NOT HUMAN LIVES SPECIALLY AMERICAS LIVES LIKE IF IT WAS SECOND WORLD WAR NO…LOTS OF CIVILIANS HAPPY AND THE TOW OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS IS SO HIGH ANDBRUTAL I WILL ALLWAYS REMEMBER THE SCREAMS OF THE SOLDIERS THAT WERE BURN IN IRAK WITH THE IRAK IS AND BY THE IRAK IS ..I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS..AND I REMEMBER THE MOSLEM OUTSIDE THE CHINESE OUTSIDE DONT HAVE 4TH OF JULY, CELEBRATIONS THEY ARE NATIONS THAT HAVE THEIR OWN HISTORY VALUES PRINCIPLES, THEY DOTN HAVE GEORGEWASHINGTON LEGACY THEY HAVE OTHERS KINGS, AND OTHERS IN THEIR HISTORY ..AMERICA MUST UNDERSTAND THIS !! THE PRESIDENT SHOULD ASK BIN LADINS TRUSTEES ,ASKING FROM HIS FORTUNE TO PAY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DIED IN SEPTEMBER 11. THANK YOU AMONG THE FAMILYS THAT DIED IS A FAMILY OF OURS IN THE SEPTMEBER 11THTHANKYOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF EXPOSING MY VIEWS.IHOPE OEN DYINTERNATIONAL POLICY CHANGES FOR GOOD. I HOPE I HAVE MADE MY MESSAGE CLEAR. GLORIA.

And I’m not sure what to do about it, other than pray for these generous and brave hearts, that they might find the peace that they so deserve. These combat vets have loved some thing so deeply they are willing to risk there all to preserve it. I myself it was truth, justice, the American way. I am troubled that god appears to have punished the best of his children and blessed the worst {i.e. bush the draft dodger that began the same war he feared to fight him self} with wealth and power. Could god be so unfair that the best and finest are cursed for a lifetime of suffering such is PTSD or are we missing some important thing? What do you feel living through violence and upheaval does for a person in the positive since? A Growth Experience I am a Combat Vet. Robert Buono

A vetern of 23 years reaches the point of sucide. Goes to BASE HOSPITAL for help, anti-depressents, etc. Talks to a Dr. explains situtation, and is ESCORTED DOWN THE HALL TO ANOTHER AREA. {escorted because of sucide indicaions] Seen by another Dr. Asks for help. Given nothing, no therapist, no anti-depressants. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT ESCORT !!! Told “you can handle it.” Could this be why some of our men suffer so? Our Government sends our men, women, wives, husbands, sons and daughters so freely, puts them in harms way with as little thought, in some cases, as they give their dog. It is time to provide DECENT, TOTAL, COMPASSIONATE CARE. We as family members, feel there hve been way too many years of “take two aspirn and call me call me in the morning.”