Posted on 06/04/2015 3:27:37 PM PDT by blueunicorn6
22 Veterans kill themselves every day.
Why?
I've seen this figure in print several times.
These are people who were tough enough and strong enough and brave enough and dedicated enough and smart enough to make it through Basic Training, Specialty Skills Training (AIT) and the rigors of military duty.
Yet, they are killing themselves when they get back to the United States.
Why?
The claim is that something horrible happened to them in combat. They have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
OK. Let's for arguments sake accept that every Veteran that commits suicide was involved in one or several horrible incidents.
Why didn't they just kill themselves then, or close afterwards? They had easy access to weapons and ammunition. Why wait until they are back in The United States.
The argument is that time is the culprit. The incidents wear on the Veteran.
OK.
What about the WWII Veterans? Did the Soldiers who saw awful things on the battlefield at the start of the war then kill themselves four years later on a different battlefield?
I've seen no studies showing that.
PTSD is real and it is a problem.
But it's not the only problem.
22 Veterans are killing themselves each day. Their lives were so miserable that the only relief they could see was by killing themselves.
Why?
Time is a factor, but it's not the only factor.
There is more.
It is very convenient for our nation to slap a PTSD diagnosis on someone and give them a couple hundred bucks disability and then walk away.
OK.
But these aren't people who should be so discouraged that they take their own lives. They were tough, resourceful, dedicated, smart.
What happened when they got back home? What did they see and experience here that caused them to end their lives?
If 22 college professors were killing themselves every day, the country would start a war on suicide.
But, they're just Veterans.
I suspect that many who lost friends in battle to win the war in Iraq are depressed that our current Muslim Illegal President has relinquished the victory and made their sacrifices meaningless. Just a guess.
So is the Obama economy and the Nanny state to blame for creating a bleak socialist land of little opportunity?
I suspect the frustration of the ridiculous Rules of Engagement..........
To what extent does the suicide rate of veterans differ from that of non-veterans in their demographic group?
What about the WWII Veterans? Did the Soldiers who saw awful things on the battlefield at the start of the war then kill themselves four years later on a different battlefield?
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That’s they key question. Answer that and you’ll see WHY 22 veterans are killing themselves each day.
Allow me to answer.
Previously men went to war and had the stability and grounding that came from God, family, a good education, moral values and more.
Now? Now we send boys who grew up without a father in broken homes, who are barely educated by unionist educrats, who know how to play Game of Thrones but know nothing of what it means to be a man.
Then you put them in an Obama-ized military?
I’m surprised the suicide rates are not higher.
But I'm a whack job conspiracy theorist
I'm the guy that thinks Viet Nam was invented to kill off (politically) educated guys that might come home and get elected
Seeing blindness ... many surrender based upon knowing dhs wants to kill them anyways ... How often do you die knowing your government is worse than nazis? Where does one know 'truth' stand or not stand?
Is that number any higher than the suicide rate for demographically similar non-veterans? What is the suicide rate, for example, of non-veteran males in America?
Most of the veterans who commit suicide are older (I think average age for a veteran suicide is 59 yrs old), so we are talking mostly about post-Vietnam to Gulf War I era veterans.
Do we rotate 8000 in a year ?
These numbers are staggering. It is beyond sad, it’s an outrage. And a travesty the way they’re treated - or not treated - as the case may be.
I know for a fact that in China when people serve in the military they are given good, well paying jobs when they get out. The government and people at large treat them with respect. This is COMMUNIST China.
I’m sure the problem goes deeper than just the WH, but the buck has to stop with the Commander in Chief, even if he is a child-man.
Subtext: “BUSH”S FAULT!!!””.
one should never expect more from those that claim to ‘cair’
“Rules of Engagement’’ aka “Restricting Operational Effectiveness’’.
My question as well. People most likely to commit suicide are males; early 20s, followed by teens, followed by 60+, divorced, split-up, or widowed.
Controlling for those factors, does veteran status make a statistical difference?
That’s a good question. I just parroted blue’s claim of 22 per day.
Seems high. That is a number that needs links and solid facts to back it up.
Where did you git yer info? I’m callin’ BS on this one.
The disvharge process these days is too quick to label veterans with this condition, too quick to medicate with drugs way to powerful to get off of when the side effects change their mood, behavior and overall demeanor...
The isolation, regrets and other factors in the transition back to civilian life are quite a shock to some...
And unfortunately there are not enough “real” counselors to handle the entire workload of Vets out here in the world...
And by “real”, I mean other Vets...Not some goatskin hanging quacks who have never been in combat, never seen some of the crap some have dealt with...
Granted, there are a few Vets who are able to put these stresses in the appropriate file, and are able to deal with it the rest of their lives...That’s a good thing, and those are the guys/gals who are able to relate, listen, and help other Vets directly with their troubles...but not enough of us are volunteering to be that sounding board...
Chris Kyle was one of those guys...
That is a template that would do this issue some good if we can harness and encourage those Vets who are willing, to step up and be the kind of personal, relatable counselor to these folks who are having a little trouble turning the switch off...
And not just accept the drugs, and feckless namby-pamby therapy the VA or other support services offer...
Obviously those efforts are failing to the tune of 22 deaths a day...
Just my opinion...
Wonder does the 8,000/per year mean from Veteran’s Hospital deaths and all government killing/murder of Veterans + suicides?
No idea.
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