14 January 2004
"Fighting this kind of war is clearly going to be stressful for some people." --Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder
You're in a pointless war. You're a reservist. You weren't supposed to be there this long. You were promised you could come home. Now you can't, and you don't know if you ever will, and your president dared people to kill you months ago. And catching Saddam Hussein has brought you no reward and made no difference. And most of the time they even forget to pay you. And rather than talking about bringing you home, the president's mind is on Mars now.
You would be right to declare, "What the fuck?"
What do you do? Some might frag their officers. Except their officers are in the same shit-filled boat. So what would be the point?
Or since you know you've been given a life sentence one way or another, you might be one of the one in seven "non-hostile deaths" among our military in Iraq. That's right, they're killing themselves and the rate is rising. Fucking tragically.
"What you're really talking about here more than anything else is the perception that the future just looks indefinite and there are not enough troops coming in. It can look awfully bleak for an awful long time," said Ken Allard, a retired Army colonel who now works with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Winkenwerder said that of 21 confirmed suicides during the past year associated with the war in Iraq, 18 were in the Army and three others in the Navy and Marine Corps. The suicide toll is probably higher than 21 because some "non-hostile" deaths are still being investigated, he added.
I would say that's less a perception than an unavoidable truth. Do you think our soldiers are stupid, sir?
What's this about Republicans being friendlier to the military? They'll certainly put you to work, that's for sure. But they don't treat the military very well, do they? Dear God, Mr. President, haven't we all, but them most of all, suffered enough for your re-election chances?
You're in a pointless war. You're a reservist. You weren't supposed to be there this long. You were promised you could come home. Now you can't, and you don't know if you ever will, and your president dared people to kill you months ago. And catching Saddam Hussein has brought you no reward and made no difference. And most of the time they even forget to pay you. And rather than talking about bringing you home, the president's mind is on Mars now.
You would be right to declare, "What the fuck?"
What do you do? Some might frag their officers. Except their officers are in the same shit-filled boat. So what would be the point?
Or since you know you've been given a life sentence one way or another, you might be one of the one in seven "non-hostile deaths" among our military in Iraq. That's right, they're killing themselves and the rate is rising. Fucking tragically.
"What you're really talking about here more than anything else is the perception that the future just looks indefinite and there are not enough troops coming in. It can look awfully bleak for an awful long time," said Ken Allard, a retired Army colonel who now works with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Winkenwerder said that of 21 confirmed suicides during the past year associated with the war in Iraq, 18 were in the Army and three others in the Navy and Marine Corps. The suicide toll is probably higher than 21 because some "non-hostile" deaths are still being investigated, he added.
I would say that's less a perception than an unavoidable truth. Do you think our soldiers are stupid, sir?
What's this about Republicans being friendlier to the military? They'll certainly put you to work, that's for sure. But they don't treat the military very well, do they? Dear God, Mr. President, haven't we all, but them most of all, suffered enough for your re-election chances?
Labels: politics
¶ January 14, 2004
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