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2008-06-09 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by gorb 2008-06-09 06:17|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 I am against that designation. All his life, my dad was hyper-reactive when amoken suddenly. That was caused by his service with the navy, during WW2, when vessels were being torpedoed. He treated it as an aspect of personality. Recognition of stress as a cause of permanent disability, is a real can of worms. I would bet that a Tylenol would solve most problems.

Posted by McZoid 2008-06-09 08:39|| 2008-06-09 08:39|| Front Page Top

#2 agree with the VFW guys - it's not a physical wound. It is a recognizable mental ailment though, and needs adequate help and treatment, just not a PH. More self-esteem from the "everyone should get a beret" gang?

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-06-09 08:45|| 2008-06-09 08:45|| Front Page Top

#3 No No No.

I didn't earn one putting my body on the line (thoguh I do have scars from combat, its not enemy action), and I sure as hell don't want one for PTSD (which did cause me enough problems to be homeless for a while a year after I got back and got out the first time).

Posted by OldSpook 2008-06-09 09:30|| 2008-06-09 09:30|| Front Page Top

#4 Vets with PTSD have earned the award, but I doubt they want the label, at least I wouldn't. And I wonder about those who do. Perhaps it would help some and I'd be happy to see them get it if it would help, but it's a slippery slope. Difficult problem.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-06-09 09:39|| 2008-06-09 09:39|| Front Page Top

#5 Difficult indeed. Part of the problem is that we are seeing a huge increase (compared to previous conflicts) in brain injuries, mostly due to IEDs. Ironically. our better armor is part of the problem since many of these wonderful soldiers and Marines would have been killed in earlier wars.

Brain damage often doesn't show up on physical tests but has to be inferred due to behavioral etc. symptoms.

Posted by lotp 2008-06-09 14:41|| 2008-06-09 14:41|| Front Page Top

#6 I think there's some gray areas here that need to be discussed. I'd give a guy that suffered brain damage as the result of an IED a purple heart. I would NOT give a guy that has a series of behavior modifications (PTSD) as the result of combat a purple heart. My dad was an artillery spotter during WWII. He came back with some pretty serious problems, but worked his way through them on his own. My year in Vietnam left me with some problems (not as serious as OS) that lasted three or four years after I returned. I think that, in many cases, it's too hard to diagnose the exact problem, whether it's brain damage or behavior modification. Things like this will eventually have to be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-06-09 14:50|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-06-09 14:50|| Front Page Top

#7 People need to face it. Killing another human, even a Jihadi (or for the WW2 bunch, a Nazi) or having them attempt to kill you flips a fundamental switch inside a person, and it takes some people a lot of time to adjust, and some never adjust well.

Thats why "seeing the elephant" is such a watershed in a soldier's life. You do NOT know how you will react until you are there and in the moment.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-06-09 17:43|| 2008-06-09 17:43|| Front Page Top

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