Master Sgt. Hawk Randolph lost his legs during the Gulf War and became homeless when he returned. (Photo: Keith-e / flickr)
Far too many soldiers end up behind bars while the rest of us are free to ignore the human evidence of what our military ventures really cost.
As all the other justifications for the U.S. invasion of Iraq have fallen by the wayside, it is ironic that the one that remains is "freedom," because in the name of someone else's freedom, we train our own soldiers to behave in ways that may very well cost them their own.
Gordy Lane is a retired Syracuse police detective who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. As a cop, it was his job to put lawbreakers behind bars, but as a veteran, he understands that when you go to war, "you come back a little different than when you went over there."
"Listen," he says, "you pop up out of a foxhole, and you blow a guy's head open like a watermelon. The other two guys in the foxhole start patting you on the back and saying, 'Good job!' because you just did the worst thing that you can do to another person. How do you translate that into civilian life?"
For far too many soldiers, the simple answer is, you don't.........Read Rest Here
The military refuses to come clean, insisting the high rates are due to "personal problems," not experience in combat.
Earlier this year, using the clout that only major broadcast networks seem capable of mustering, CBS News contacted the governments of all 50 states requesting their official records of death by suicide going back 12 years. They heard back from 45 of the 50. From the mountains of gathered information, they sifted out the suicides of those Americans who had served in the armed forces. What they discovered is that in 2005 alone -- and remember, this is just in 45 states -- there were at least 6,256 veteran suicides, 120 every week for a year and an average of 17 every day.
over at Alternet.
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Military Spouses for Change (MSC)
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.
Military Spouses for Change are trying to lure Democratic and Republican candidates to address the largest military community in the country face-to-face.
"These candidates are asking to be the next commander in chief. I feel like our families and service members, if nothing else, deserve an audience," organizer Carissa Picard said.
Visit their Site, Support their Everts, Demand the Candidates for the Presidency Answer their Call For An Honest Debate, Contact All the major News Outlets with their call for a Face to Face Debate, Contact All the Televised News Outlets to Carry the Debate, Live, so as many as possible can Listen to these Spouses and Family Members who, besides those Actually Serving, are the Only Ones Sacrificing!
Master Sgt. Hawk Randolph lost his legs during the Gulf War and became homeless when he returned. (Photo: Keith-e / flickr)
