It is extremely difficult for those of us that live in the comfort of these United States to appreciate the sacrifices of our military personnel. We are protected from the outside world from the kinds of stresses and horrors our military personnel face on a day-to-day basis. We are not talking about the physical scars from roadside IEDs or from bullets of enemy weapons. We are talking about the mental scars from watching your comrade get his leg blown off or seeing your military brother lying beside you with his life’s blood pouring out of a bullet wound that is taking his life. The scar inflicted when he sees his comrade’s lifeless eyes wide open when he has taken his last breath. Think about walking down a dirty, dusty road and seeing an Iraqi or Afghani child lying lifeless from a roadside bomb their own countrymen set to kill Americans and NATO forces.
These are the kinds of horrors that our American military men and women face daily and then must try to sleep at night (or when they can). Finally the day arrives and they have their orders to come home, back to the land of the free. Back to civilization as they remember it! But, what the average U.S. citizen does not carry everyday are those memories of the horrors of war. How do these brave men and women deal with what they have witnessed? How do they try to erase the sadness and guilt of being a part of this tragic war?
Thankfully, the greatest percentage of them somehow come to grips with it, but there is a small percentage that just cannot let it go. It eats away at them like a terrible disease. Their minds become continually twisted and tormented until they reach the breaking point. Mental therapy helps many, but there are a few that cannot find a way out of the twisted mental environment their mind has put them. The only way out is to end the torment with suicide. Such tragedies are happening far too often for our heroes. Pray for them and their families. God bless our American military men and women and God bless America!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thanks for your thoughts about the challenges facing combat veterans who are now returning from Iraq. I hope that they will all be treated with kindness and that opportunities for work will present themselves for those leaving service.
ReplyDeleteThe civilian population can never understand the enormity of what they faced. It seems that humans can only really fathom what they have personally endured whether that experience is having a baby, being a battered spouse, or experienced a severe, traumatic injury.
We are seeing some heartwarming stories on television of dogs adopted by military members being sent here to be with them and of grand celebrations at airports and in small towns for some of the returning heroes.
With all of the turmoil in the world, we never know where the next threat will be presented. With the death of North Korea's leader, we may have another "situation" on our hands.
Thank you for your service to this country, Bob, and God Bless the troop and America. Peace be with you this holiday season!
Patricia Cummings