Images from the Dark Side of War

Spiegel Online ^ | August 30, 2007 | Marc Pitzke

[NucSubs]

Images from the Dark Side of War By Marc Pitzke in New York A moving photo exhibition in New York shows what the media doesn't -- shocking photos of seriously wounded Iraq veterans. The images and the soldiers' quotes which accompany them say more about the war than you might want to know.

[NucSubs]

For his part, though, Corporal Tyson Johnson III is bitter. Following a mortar attack resulting in massive internal injuries, the 22-year-old is now completely disabled. Nevertheless, he has to pay back a $2,999 signing bonus he got when he joined the National Guard. "I'm burning on the inside," he says. "I'm burning."

Bitter??? Damn right he's bitter. I'd be bitter too! What the hell!??

[digger48]

Any explanation WHY he has to pay the money back?

Or will the facts ruin the point of this piece

[SoldierMedic]

I’m not sure about his bonus money, but sometimes soldier’s are mistakenly charged for their body armor, which is destroyed if it is too bloody (Biohazard). If there is a mistake in paperwork, or anything that doesn’t record that the armor was destroyed for medical purposes, the soldier will be charged, adding insult to injury.

[Sherman Logan]

Modified version:

” A moving photo exhibition in New York shows what the media doesn’t — shocking photos of the victims of abortion. The images say more about our abortion policy than you might want to know.”

[Sherman Logan]

That struck me too.

I can understand him having to pay it back if he flunked out of basic, but not after being wounded and disabled in combat.

[Eagles6]

Well, I'd take the part about the signing bonus with a grain of salt.

Another Soldier quoted is said to live in a trailer near here. I do know that Homes for Our Troops built him a house, so...

I believe that nearly as many or more members of the Armed Forces were killed and/or wounded during the clinton 'peace' years. Telling their story wouldn't undermine the war effort or the mission though.

[wgflyer]

Yeah, I’d be bitter, too. However, Nina Berman is an associate prof. at U.C. Berkley. The article is rather brief with regard to background on the individuals’ complaints. The intent was to portray them solely as victims. This tells it all, as to her intent...

“I photograph them alone, mainly in their rooms, which to me feel like little cages. I strip them of patriotic colors and heroic postures. I see them alienated and dispossessed, left empty-handed amid dreams of glory and escape.”

Additionally, the article is published in one of the most rabidly anti-American mainstream publications in Europe. They aren’t interested in anything other than anti-war propaganda.

Having said that, we must certainly understand, too, that the US government is not doing a good job of taking care of our wounded soldiers. It really never has. That should trump all other social spending priorities. Period.

[NucSubs]

What possible reason, short of gross misconduct, could justify the revocation of A $3000 BONUS - a pittance to the Fed but a LOT to an E-2 or E-3 - to a man who was crippled fighting for his nation in an Army desperate to keep it’s recruitment image high?

[NucSubs]

I am not defending the piece of the exhibition. I am solely wondering about this soldier and the bonus take-back.

[digger48]

But do we know for a fact that this is the case?

This is NOT a writer or publication that is exactly friendly to the US OR its military

[bill1952]

I’m wondering about it as well, but given the author I seriously doubt the veracity of anything that is stated here.
In fact, if a photo was showed of the sun shining I’d have to see proof that it wasn’t a shop.

I do have faith in the ultimate outcome and the intent as well, and I’m quite sure of the author’s intent, as well.

[Maelstorm]

You can thank the bureaucrats for this. What kind of person would see fit to take back a signing bonus from someone who was permanently disabled working for them? Some people just are evil and they hide behind rules and regulations. I’d leave my position before I’d send out a bill or dock someone’s wages for such a thing.

This has not been the first time this has happened. They had been trying to charge soldiers for equipment not recovered from the battlefield. Say for example you lost your boots along with your legs when an IED went off, some bean counters were billing the soldiers for those items not retrieved from the battlefield. I could physically strangle the idiots causing such stress to those who have lost more than most of us could ever imagine in the service of their country. They and the peace niks have most certainly pushed soldiers to the point of suicide. (Something that will never be studied seriously because the left owns academia)

It sickens me. I pray God sends plagues on the inhuman bastards sitting in their air conditioned offices sending out letters demanding payment from those who have given more than any money can ever repay.

[ScubieNuc]

What I found amazing is when you actually go to the pictures ( Click here ) and the comments by the veterans, there is not that much hatred or animosity.

I do agree with you on questioning why an injured soldier is exspected to pay back a bonus???? I would be pretty irate myself.

Scubie

[NucSubs]

So now we are doubting the man? No, I guess we don;t know for a fact that he is telling the truth. That is the case in a lot of articles, including ones that we like.

What if it is true? I'd like to know more.

[digger48]

I don’t doubt the man, but there’s a big piece of this story missing.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Corporal Alex Presman: “I’m happy, you know, that I did what I did. I loved the military, I loved the lifestyle and I’m going to miss it.”

He doesn’t sound real bitter to me. Could it be that certain members of the German Ministry of Propaganda and their friends in the New York "Artistic Community" are trying to exploit the wounded while distorting their opinions?

Sort of reminds me of April 1941 when over 100,000 Jews in New York marched in opposition to Lend Lease.

[Mila]

“I believe that nearly as many or more members of the Armed Forces were killed and/or wounded during the clinton ‘peace’ years. Telling their story wouldn’t undermine the war effort or the mission though.”

It would be interesting to see some comparison figures on that. If I remember correctly, the loss of American lives in Kosovo, for instance,was low. Where do the numbers to which you refer come from?

[Eagles6]

http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/Death_Rates.pdf

http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/004581.html

[Mila]

Hi,
Thanks for the information. I found the chart from the DOD very interesting. They give a pretty thorough breakdown as to type of death. I did a little calculating and, as I don’t think that it is feasible to hold either Clinton or President Bush responsible for military deaths due to accident, homicide, illness or suicide, I only included deaths due to hostile action, terrorist action, or undetermined. Using that criteria here are my results:

---

Clinton
1993 thru 2000 (8 years)

TOTAL MILITARY YEARLY AVERAGE-INCLUDES:
Active Duty-Full Time(est)Guard Reserve-Selected Reserve FTE

1,630618

8 YEAR TOTAL DEATHS DUE TO:
Hostile Action,Terrorist Attack and Undetermined

175

---

President Bush
2001 thru 2006 (6 years)

TOTAL MILITARY YEARLY AVERAGE-INCLUDES:
Active Duty-Full Time(est)Guard Reserve-Selected Reserve FTE

1,648,889

DEATHS DUE TO:
Hostile Action,Terrorist Attack and Undetermined

2,756

---

Because of Iraq, the larger number of deaths under the current President comes as no surprise. But they’re not extraordinary, we are at war after all.

http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/Death_Rates.pdf

[Eagles6]

"Because of Iraq, the larger number of deaths under the current President comes as no surprise. But they’re not extraordinary, we are at war after all."

Yes, that's my point. The author is only using the wounded to undermine the war effort. It makes no difference if a fighter is wounded in combat, paralyzed by illness or is burned in a traffic accident. The author ignores the accidents or natural causes. There are more Americans killed in traffic accidents every year than have been killed in combat or by terrorist attacks.