NYT: When Soldiers Come Home, Trauma Can Set In (worth a read)

[Rose Siding]

Lots of info in here. Bring tissue and something to slug.

snip>
Some nights, when his shift was over, he would sit on the floor of the shower stall fully dressed, pink water swirling down the drain, and wash and wash until his fatigues did not bleed anymore.

Unlike many other soldiers, who said they still believe in the mission, Sergeant Papadatos said the mission was failing. He also felt he was being lied to. He recalled standing in a battalion formation and listening to a general link Iraq to the Sept. 11 attacks. "How stupid do they think we are?" he said.

<snip>

In December, Sergeant Papadatos asked for help again. He went to the veterans' hospital in Manhattan and was told to complete another survey - his fourth. He had questions about the questions, but the secretary administering the test could not answer them and he got frustrated. She said that he was acting "nasty."

"That's when I exploded," he said. "I started yelling, 'Nasty? Nasty? I'll show you nasty. You stupid desk bound slug!' "

Several men escorted him out. When he got home a few hours later, he crawled into bed.

"I felt like I had accomplished nothing for the day," he said. "Except making a fool of myself."

http://nytimes.com/2006/01/15/nyregion/15guard.html?pagewanted=4&ei=5094&en=e649ab9de69f5741&hp&ex=1137301200&partner=homepage

[niyad]

1. there aren't enough words to begin to cover the devastation of lives

broken, souls broken, spirits broken, and possibly not ever being able to make them whole again. the death tolls from vietnam and gulf 1 don't take into account the ones who died afterward, whether from physical or spiritual wounds. the cost does not take into account the devasation of families, loved ones, friends, who watch helplessly, or finally turn away because they cannot bear the destruction anymore.
I am not a vengeful person, but I pray that all who are responsible for putting these people, their loved ones, and the rest of us, in this terrible situation, learn exactly what it feels like.

[UpInArms]

2. thanks for the post

:(