'Marlboro Man' Turns Against War He Symbolised

[deutsey]

A cigarette hung from his mouth in the manner of John Wayne or Humphrey Bogart, his grime-covered face showed the exhaustion of battle.

This image of US Marine Lance-Corporal Blake Miller, taken during the battle of Fallujah, instantly captured the public imagination and for a while he was known simply as Marlboro Man.

But 15 months after that photograph appeared in more than 100 US newspapers, the 21-year-old is back from Iraq, back on civvy street and he is talking about the trauma of what he experienced and the scars he still bears, physical and mental. The once unquestioning Marine is now also questioning whether US forces should be in Iraq.

MORE....

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0202-07.htm

[cali]

1. Wow, OK, who's a stealth freeper?

They'd go nuts over there if they saw this.

[deutsey]

3. Won't someone step up and answer the call?

:evilgrin:

[w8liftinglady]

2. My "drinking liberally " friend's son wrote this

he is a very good,TOTALLY objective writer

[CJCRANE]

4. The guy's waking up

but he still seems to have the misconception that the 9-11 hijackers were Iraqis:

"The biggest question I have now is how you can make a war on an entire country when a certain group from that country is practising terrorism against you. It's as if a gang from New York went to Iraq and blew some stuff up and Iraq started a war against us because of that."

[MisterP]

13. that's the worst thing about propaganda--it gets into every nook and

cranny, and stays almost forever

[msongs]

5. while he's at it he should quit smoking nt

[Bluebear]

7. He's gone from 5 packs a day down to 2.

He is having serious PTSD. What have we done?

[Katherine Brengle]

9. Jesus Christmas--that's insanity...

I'm a smoker (who wishes she wasn't) and I couldn't imagine smoking that many cigarettes unless I was severely disturbed, prychologically.

When my husband left (ironically, for Fallujah), my smoking picked up considerably, but still no more than one pack per day, which is bad enough.

5 packs a day is 100 cigarettes. It takes me about 5 minutes to smoke one, you do the math.

Poor guy...

[Bluebear]

10. More on Miller >>>>>

The man in the photograph is James Blake Miller, now 21, and he is an icon, although in ways Rather probably never imagined.

He's quieter now -- easier to anger. He turns to fight at the sound of a backfire, can't look at fireworks without thinking of fire raining down on a city. He has trouble sleeping, and when he does, his fingers twitch on invisible triggers.

The diagnosis: post-traumatic stress disorder.

His life in Kentucky, before and after the clicking shutter, says as much about hundreds of thousands of new American war veterans as his famous photograph said about that one bad day in Fallujah -- a photo Miller cannot see as an icon.

"I don't see a whole lot," he said. "I see a day I won't care to remember, but that I'll never forget."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/29/MNGMHGVCEV1.DTL&hw=marlboro+man&sn=005&sc=409


Blake and Jessica Miller head for his psychiatric evaluation at the veterans hospital in Huntington, W. Va. Miller suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Ciggies and coffee]

20. Quit smoking now!

You should be taking our pills!:sarcasm:

[samhsarah]

6. And the freeptards have already started calling him a coward.

[Katherine Brengle]

8. F* 'em (freeptards) n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. I think it's time those chickenhawk freeptards were frog-marched down....

...to the nearest Marine enlistment station so those yellow-bellied assholes can experience firsthand the horrors of war.

Semper Fi.

[NewJeffCT]

12. they call him a coward

from behind their keyboards?

hmmm.

[leeroysphitz]

14. Have they really?

One day, some of these freeps, when (if?) America returns to a state of non-hysteria are going to look back on some of the things that they said and did during this turbulent period in our nation's history and feel nothing but shame and regret.

I hope that they choke on it and keep choking on it. Ugly, spiteful, hate filled people.

[smartvoter]

15. Oh yeah, the chickenhawk cowards are their best. nt

[deutsey]

16. I don't go there...are there any examples you can share?

Part of me says to ignore them, but I think it's also good to lift the rock and see the slimy, creepy underside once in a while.

[Tinksrival]

18. This is the opinion of one regular:

From FR:

"Of course they had to mention Vietnam."

"Of course they had to call it PTSD."

"Of course of course of course. Yea, left slant for sure. PTSD equals 30 points in the VA system. Made up BS disease. I just can't see Attila the Hun, the Vikings or Paw-knee Indians suffering form this so called psychological disorder!

This disease was borne from the vents of time where war was branded as all bad, never justified and soldiers suffered from this horrible disease and if they didn’t, then they’re mentally deranged evil war mongers. PTSD is a meaningless term. A pseudo-science BS concept.

Want to know why some woman got shot when a bunch of SF guys returned home from Afghanistan? Because their wives “Cheated” on them. But in the liberal media that’s spun into PTSD lowered their threshold to violence and caused them to act out where they might otherwise not have. BS! I catch my wife in bed with another guy, they’re both done – right there on the spot. I’ll drill them both.

PTSD! I want to vomit when I hear that expression. It’s about as trendy as some of those environmentalist issues that pop up, disappear and then get replaced by some other BS new trendy issue (What happened with acid rain?).

Death and dying is a part of life. You see it growing up on a farm – even if you just ever had a pet. This “so called” mental disorder is a fashionable pseudo scientific disorder which some conveniently have when going in for their Compensation and Pension evaluation at the VA. It’s a trend topic which the anti-war left likes to beat their drum to while not appearing at least openly anti-soldier. It’s a racket for a bunch of shrinks who make their living off of talking to people. It’s a “check the block” for the administration to CYA when soldiers come home so that when something does happen you can say “I provided mental health services!”

How many WWI Vets or even WWII Vets who fought in places like Guadalcanal or even on the beaches of Normandy suffer from this so called disease?

PTSD is a fictitious disease. Like some young kid who you indirectly led into believing they have been abused, you CAN talk people into believing that they have a problem, an issue or even a “disorder”. Just look at the hyper-sensitivity some African Americans have within our society. Every kid growing up WILL get picked on whether it’s for wearing glasses, being to fat, how you speak or yes, how you look. Get over it!"

Red6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This guy has some major issues. :(

Sorry forgot link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1564824/posts

[samhsarah]

22. Here's a link I just posted:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2413245

[samhsarah]

21. Here's an example:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2413245

[Cocoa]

17. the Freepers LOVED him in 2003

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1279032/posts?q=1&&page=1

<snip>

Fascinating picture. There's something strong and lively in the fellow's eyes that speaks of what he's seen and done and who he is. Deathly tired, but he doesn't look at all whiny or defeated. After twelve straight hours of combat, he looks alert, intelligent, observant, and and full of fight. It's the look of a warrior. I appreciate the work this brave young man has done for his country, and I appreciate his modesty.

[deutsey]

19. Now I guess they'll send him bandaid with a purple heart on it...

:eyes:

[samhsarah]

23. not so much anymore:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2413245