Bringing the war home

[RickSp]

Johnny Lee Williams, 24, sits in an Arizona jail, accused of abducting 19-year-old Wal-Mart clerk Megan Holden as she left work and killing her. But those close to Williams say they are as shocked by the incident as anyone. A decorated Marine who served one tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Williams' family says he was changed by the war. In an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America," his parents, Patricia and the Rev. John Williams, say their son came back from Iraq troubled and begging the military for mental treatment, which he never received. Twenty percent of servicemen and women returning from Iraq say they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Former Navy psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Regan, says most are not getting adequate help. "The fact is that post-traumatic stress disorder is very real and Mother Nature is very cruel," said Regan.

Parents: Accused Killer Changed After Iraq

No one can say whether or not post-traumatic stress syndrome played any real role in Johnny William's murderous rampage. It does make me wonder whether the over one million men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and other dangerous regions since 9/11 will recieve the help and support that they deserve from the military. Based on the reports of substandard medical care for wounded reservists, it doesn't look encouraging.

[bishop]

yeah.. i've read a couple reports just like this one actually.

it isn't really surprising to me though.. people did it when they came back from ww2, from korea, from vietnam... this war has been savage in its own right - enough to cause serious psychological problems for the people fighting in bush's war.

[giuliano]

it's no secret mental disorders are the biggest health problem associated with war.

luckily they're mostly from the "you don't matter" demographics

[tinybear]

People who bring the war home shouldn't have been allowed to go in the first place.

[giuliano]

in practice that pretty much means no war.

[tinybear]

Of course not. Many don't even go home.

[KittyKat]

The armed forces are not real good at helping those who have suffered. My friend was a marine special forces sniper and is having a terrible time adjusting to civillian life. They trained him to kill other people at their command, now they don't want to give him anything other than a few bucks for schooling.

Poor guy, sure hope he doesn't snap.

K

[jose]

snip; The Bush administration and the congressional Republicans lament the fact that increasing entitlements promised to veterans have forced them to limit the growth of spending for questionable missile systems and other weapons programs. New funding for their illegal war on Iraq, they claim, is also in jeopardy as long as so much new military spending is set aside for veterans' programs.
http://www.altpr.org/modules.php?op=...rder=0&thold=0
drip,drip-----

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: KittyKat The armed forces are not real good at helping those who have suffered. My friend was a marine special forces sniper and is having a terrible time adjusting to civillian life. They trained him to kill other people at their command, now they don't want to give him anything other than a few bucks for schooling. Poor guy, sure hope he doesn't snap. K

A radio talk show host in the area once said he was trained to kill by the military (WW2) but he was never trained NOT to. In other words there was no help adjusting to civilian life.

Also, I knew a Nam vet who sometimes fell asleep in a chair. just don't tap him to wake him up as he'd try to kill you even before his eyes were open.

[RickSp]

The Bush administration seems to be particularly indifferent to the welfare of the troops. The use of "stop-loss" polices, the over reliance on the National Guard, the cutting of combat pay, the lack of needed equipment and armor, and the wholly inadequate treatment recieved by wounded National Guardsmen in VA hospitals, seems to communcaite that the Bush cabal considers the troops to be little more than cannon fodder. In this context at least, the lack of support for PTST is not too surprising.

[Scribbler1]

Rick, Bush and his followers are always the first to yell "support the troops" until it's time to support the troops.
To be fair, this has been happening for some time, but our government's treatment of our soldiers has been disgraceful and with this administration is even worse.

[giuliano]

by "support the troops" they really mean "support the war"

[Rainbow]

Johnny Lee Williams, 24, sits in an Arizona jail, accused of abducting 19-year-old Wal-Mart clerk Megan Holden as she left work and killing her. But those close to Williams say they are as shocked by the incident as anyone. A decorated Marine who served one tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Williams' family says he was changed by the war. In an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America," his parents, Patricia and the Rev. John Williams, say their son came back from Iraq troubled and begging the military for mental treatment, which he never received. Twenty percent of servicemen and women returning from Iraq say they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Former Navy psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Regan, says most are not getting adequate help. "The fact is that post-traumatic stress disorder is very real and Mother Nature is very cruel," said Regan

A murderer appears to be a victim ?
An additional monetary award (to Johnny Lee Williams and his family) and sentencing a judge (along with jurors) should complete that "psychiatric merry-go-round".

Can we change the Law, and prosecute, sentence and jail victims, instead ?
In case a victim is no longer present in this world, its family, friends and/or relatives would become a replacement.

[Samildanach]

If I was a special forces sniper and the govt was giving me a raw deal, they soon wouldn't have many key government figures left.

[KittyKat]

If I was a special forces sniper and the govt was giving me a raw deal, they soon wouldn't have many key government figures left.

I am sure he has thought of this many times. But, I am pretty sure they still keep tabs on him to see what he is up to now and then.

[Ningning]

These soilders have spend months, or sometimes years training to go to war, simply from the psychological conditioning point of view, it makes perfect sense that they would require a period of "detraining" before returning to civilian life. You can't take a guard dog home with you and expect him to play nice with your kids.

[Scribbler1]

That's the point. I'm not aware of any program designed to DE-indoctrinate combat soldiers or reintroduce them into "normal" society. It seems that in many cases it would be literally a life saver for these guys.
My experience with a lot of Viet Nam vets tells me not everyone would need this service but it should be made freely available to those who can use it.