Posted on 12/28/2006 8:08:10 PM PST by RDTF
Army Reservist James E. Dean had already served 18 months in Afghanistan when he was notified three weeks ago that he would be deployed to Iraq later this month. The prospect of returning to war sent the St. Mary's County resident into a spiral of depression, a neighbor said.
Despondent about his orders, Dean barricaded himself inside his father's home with several weapons on Christmas, threatening to kill himself. After a 14-hour standoff with authorities, Dean was killed yesterday by a police officer after he aimed a gun at another officer, police said.
Wanda Matthews, who lives next door to Dean's father and said she thought of the younger man as a son, described him as a "very good boy."
"His dad told me that he didn't want to go to war," Matthews said. "He had already been out there and didn't want to go again."
Dean, 29, was shot once after a confrontation with officers that began when a member of Dean's family asked police to check on him about 10 p.m. Monday, police said. Dean stated his intention to kill himself several times late that night and yesterday morning and had fired at officers multiple times, St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said. A handful of bullets hit police cars, but no officers were injured.
Cameron said special law enforcement units spent the night trying to negotiate with Dean to come out of the house.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
He could have received counciling.
"Megan Greenwell" was a Berkeley journalist. (Google around for her history.)
One has to wonder what kind of details are absent or twisted in anything that she reports.
I know one Reservist that was activated for 4 years. The Guard are being deployed for 12 months and some of them are tagged for an additional 3 months. The Reserves (Federal) march to a different beat. There's bound to be a freeper along shortly with the straight skinny.
Some USMC units are now on their 4th deployment, and likely, some of the personnel in the units are on their 4th deployment.
Thank goodness the police stepped in and prevented that.
Yes, 6 divisions are missing (congressionally eliminated.)
Key word- Reserves/Reservists.
2 months at home for every month deployed.
One weakness in that policy is that while regulars may have family on base, for a reservist, being activiated implies they are moving away from home to their training command for that 2 month period, then deploying for the third month. So instead of it appearing as 12 months home, 6 months deployed, it is closer to 12 months TAD, 6 months deployed, then return home with less support than the regulars.
I wonder if prior to committing this act, this warrior was sent a free subscription to the Washington ComPost? That would probably push ME over the edge!
In reality this a very sad story. The young man probably became very depressed not because he had to go back to Iraq to fight for his country, but because he did not see the need for it any more considering that his country is being given away to the enemy anyway.
I think that we'll see more of these cases in the future.
Look, The only thing differant about the active duty and the reserves is the pay.
We have troops that have issues, the regular army has troops who have issues.
After spending 14 months on active duty, my perception in the differances of the services is, the Army Reserve and the National Guard have soldiers who are more mature than the active duty conterparts.
The active duty has a younger force and war is a young mans game.
Does this mean the Army reserve and National Guard can't complete it's mission? Absolutely not.
This is just more bullsh*t from people who don't want us there, in any capacity.
In 1992 we had over 20 active duty divisions.
Today we have 8.
Do the math yourself, tell me who is to blame.
Have a nice day, and please get fitted for your burka, because that is where we are headed.
What should be played on Television is how Saddam was very much like Adolf Hitler (torture/killing people/war with Iran).
If one thinks of the millions killed in World War II because no one would stand up to Adolf Hitler when he was bluffing (a number of times early in the game), there may one day be analysis (maybe) that Saddam might have triggered a war with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran.
But on the other hand, any American life lost over Iraq is one to many.
How many Americans died at Pearl Harbor? Normandy Invasion? Daylight precision bombing over Nazi occupied Europe?
In the game of chess known as the world, the Middle East is not a pawn but represents an important part of the chess game - Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, small Arab states in the Persian Gulf, Israel, India, Egypt, Syria, and so on.
Cut off Middle Eastern oil, and Japan, Europe and the United States is in serious Economic and perhaps military peril.
This guy's life means alot (the one the article is about).
But our LAME STREAM MEDIA is so obstructing the truth that when there are reports of reporters getting wounded in Iraq, I almost think that such acts might actually help our country by keeping TRAITORS from printing/filming garbage about our military and our country (and aiding our enemies aka Jane Fonda style).
Maybe the members of the media should go home tonight and read John F. Kennedy's Why England Slept and ponder that book. And then they might have the intelligence to ponder what might be going on in the Middle East (along with the help of several PhD's who specialize in the Middle East).
I am starting to hate our deployment over to Iraq, especially with every death of a serive man or woman.
But I also fear the vision (a very strange one) of the Energy Wars. That vision was of a war over oil but also over energy weapons (particle beam, EMP, STAR WARS).
Various energy technologies are possible and were part of DOE underground nuke bomb testing (I think).
This is all part of the world chess game where Red China, India, Russia, and others are key players.
It is also part of the world chess game where the price per barrel of oil can rise to over $100 a barrel.
There is a spiritual battle as well as economic and terrorist wars going on around the world right now.
In a sense, this man is a casualty, in a sense, of 9/11(/2001) as much a casualty of Iraq/Afghanistan.
There is a spiritual war where many people want the religion of Islam to dominate the world.
There is a terrorist war still going on where a dirty nuke might be exploded in Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago or New York. The recent attempt arount the 4th of July 2006 in New York City to release chemical weapons is but an example.
But none of this will be reported in the Washington Post or the Los Angeles Times or the New York Slimes (slimey toilet paper?)
But maybe the fact that NATO is more involved in Afghanistan is a postive step and means there is not as significant burden on the US Military? Or maybe it means there is more of a burden on the US Military.
Save a tree, boycott the Washington Post
Straight up! Companies are hiring. Logistical support of the trooops is possible. I worked 15 months in Afghanistan, and 5 months in Iraq. You can too. ;0) Get some!
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