Military leaves soldier souless..... disgracefull!

[Oleg Bach]

There is a tall black kid that hangs out in front of the cigar store. He has that classic stare that we all hear about when a soldier returns from combat. The poor man looks as if he is about to come apart at the seams. There is a great forlorness and deep sadness about him. We have talked a few times and the other night I brought him over to my home to give him a warmer coat - he was poor and he was hungry and cold. He had done a tour in Afghanistan and now was home, if you could call his hovel a home.

He revealed something to me concerning his health. He said that he had taken his monthy injection of some sort of anti-psycotic drug. He asked if it was illegal for him to refuse the injection. Clearly he was not fully aware of his human rights. Both of us agreed that it was not our buisness to wage war in Afghanistan - and I explained to him that he had been used - He agreed! I asked him what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to be a doctor, but after what he had experienced there was no hope for him in regards to focusing on a medical career - He was clearly and plainly totally disturbed mentally and emotionally.

Here is that disturbing part of my story. As we were walking up the alley to get him a good coat he said he killed hundreds...and worse than that he did not believe that he could stop killing. It looked like even while medicated he was bound and determined and pushed by the haunting that was Afghanistan that he was a time bomb ticking away...I said don't let them win - don't let the bastards that sent you off to what was essentially murder...take your soul....I encouraged him and tried to get him to understand that it was not his fault that he was a dupe. I do believe he will be all right in the long run ---but still - it is a great Canadian shame that we send these young underprivledged men off to "serve" - then they come back damaged and are disgarded like dirt. _ In the mean time I am sure that some creepy doctor asigned by the federal government will continue to keep injecting this guy like the crazed broken animal that he is - that they created.

[Army Guy]

Oleg if you are concerned about this soldier then you should get his name , address, service number and his home unit name. Give them to me and i will forward them off to off to those agencies that will and can offer this soldier some help. There is many organizations avaiable to him provided by the military and medical system.

His old unit once informed of his status will also investage his circumstances...

Many major bases have mental health clinics, these services are available to all past and prestent service members...

If there is no mental health clinics around his arera, often these services will be contracted out to a civilian clinic...

Military obudsmen is also available, they are outside the military chain of command and will act very quickly to ensure he gets the help he needs....and can be contacted , by email or letter, or phone. if you want i will get all the info you need to contact this agency...

There is a Federal program already in place to get our soldiers off the streets and get them the help they need....oddly enough it was headed up and started by an NDP MP.....I'm am still looking for that contact info....

Then there is the VA hospital, which will see him free of charge and if his meds are the wrong ones they will change it....

So there is help available and if your story is true he will recieve it...

All that being said your soldiers story has alot of holes in it. There is alot of checks and balances that are in place to ensure this type of thing does not happen, as with all systems it's not perfect...if his mental heath issues were a problem at the time of release but he failed to make it known he may of been bypassed the help he really needs...In is still entitled to help....but he needs to seek it out....

Most soldiers training for Afgan require a 6 mth build up training, be it reserve or reg force members, add that to a tour of 6 mths , and this soldier should have had at the very min of one years wages, a Cpl makes roughly 52,000 a year, keeping in mind that 6 mths "while he is on tour is TAX free"....plus approx 15 to 25 thousand in bonus pay, also tax free....

Also personal with mental health issues must seek treatment, as they are easy enough to hide, that being said all it takes is for anyone, his buddies, chain of command to mention it and this soldier will be forced into seeing a mental health specialist and will remain on duty until his problem is fixed....or controlled. That being said if he does have a mental health issue then he may qualify for a medical pension...

As for killing hundreds this may have been a slight exageration on his part, As with any soldier that has taken a life, he would have been forced to see a padre after the incident , plus a mental health doctor, plus at the end of the tour he would have to repeat the process again....this time in a longer secession....He would have attneded what we called a hotwash, where Sections sit down and discuss the events which gives soldiers a time to vent, and time for supervisors to take notes keeping tabs on the mental health levels of his section....

[BigAl]

Oleg if you are concerned about this soldier then you should get his name , address, service number and his home unit name. Give them to me and i will forward them off to off to those agencies that will and can offer this soldier some help. There is many organizations avaiable to him provided by the military and medical system.

His old unit once informed of his status will also investage his circumstances...

Many major bases have mental health clinics, these services are available to all past and prestent service members...

If there is no mental health clinics around his arera, often these services will be contracted out to a civilian clinic...

Military obudsmen is also available, they are outside the military chain of command and will act very quickly to ensure he gets the help he needs....and can be contacted , by email or letter, or phone. if you want i will get all the info you need to contact this agency...

There is a Federal program already in place to get our soldiers off the streets and get them the help they need....oddly enough it was headed up and started by an NDP MP.....I'm am still looking for that contact info....

Then there is the VA hospital, which will see him free of charge and if his meds are the wrong ones they will change it....

So there is help available and if your story is true he will recieve it...

All that being said your soldiers story has alot of holes in it. There is alot of checks and balances that are in place to ensure this type of thing does not happen, as with all systems it's not perfect...if his mental heath issues were a problem at the time of release but he failed to make it known he may of been bypassed the help he really needs...In is still entitled to help....but he needs to seek it out....

Most soldiers training for Afgan require a 6 mth build up training, be it reserve or reg force members, add that to a tour of 6 mths , and this soldier should have had at the very min of one years wages, a Cpl makes roughly 52,000 a year, keeping in mind that 6 mths "while he is on tour is TAX free"....plus approx 15 to 25 thousand in bonus pay, also tax free....

Also personal with mental health issues must seek treatment, as they are easy enough to hide, that being said all it takes is for anyone, his buddies, chain of command to mention it and this soldier will be forced into seeing a mental health specialist and will remain on duty until his problem is fixed....or controlled. That being said if he does have a mental health issue then he may qualify for a medical pension...

As for killing hundreds this may have been a slight exageration on his part, As with any soldier that has taken a life, he would have been forced to see a padre after the incident , plus a mental health doctor, plus at the end of the tour he would have to repeat the process again....this time in a longer secession....He would have attneded what we called a hotwash, where Sections sit down and discuss the events which gives soldiers a time to vent, and time for supervisors to take notes keeping tabs on the mental health levels of his section....

Always enjoy your posts Army Guy...and thanks for offering to help the soldier in question. I have family who are veterans of several conflicts, and it's just a nightmare to see how some of them come back and what it's done to their perceptions of reality. I had an Uncle who served in Vietnam and came back with some serious PTSD...he scared the hell out of me as a kid when we were watching a fireworks display and he suddenly dove behind a bush and started freaking out. War sucks.

[Army Guy]

Always enjoy your posts Army Guy...and thanks for offering to help the soldier in question.

Thanks, if this guy is who he claims then he is a brother in arms, and i'm sure any soldier serving would do the same thing...

I have family who are veterans of several conflicts, and it's just a nightmare to see how some of them come back and what it's done to their perceptions of reality. I had an Uncle who served in Vietnam and came back with some serious PTSD...he scared the hell out of me as a kid when we were watching a fireworks display and he suddenly dove behind a bush and started freaking out. War sucks.

Yes war does suck, and as long as there is war there will be PTSD and other mental health issues....every soldier is different, and reacts differently to the effects of war....but one thing is for sure, it will change everyone....with every tour you do....

But like they say time normally heals all wounds, or atleast allows you to live with those ghosts and nightmares....Problem with PTSD is that alot of soldiers still think it only effects the weak, and will not seek help as they allow thier pride to get in the way....And normally will not get help until thier lives come crashing down, marriages break up, abuse of drugs and drink, in debt...other problems....but once they seek help everything recovers...but it takes that crash for everything to get started....Because in thier minds only the weak get PTSD....

PTSD needs to be treated by a professional, time heals nothing....without help....and it can effect anyone, from the model soldier, to wifes and families of soldiers....

I had just got back from Afgan on my second tour, me and the wife were going to Sobbeys, I guy cuts me off, and in a milisecond i'm back in Afgan i down shift the car and speed up to ram his car.....well you can imagine the caus in the car, my wife is freaking out, my kids are screaming....they're not the only ones freaking out, i came within inches of this guys car, he pulled over....i screach to a halt in the middle of the road, get out of my car, and run over to the other drivers window, the whole time reaching for my side arm....i remember calling myself an idiot for forgetting my rifle....and when i can't find my side arm i start to panick....i turn to look back at the car....and my wife yelling at me...and everything became clear...i was not part of my LAV crew, in Afgan , i was back in petawawa, the car i had forced off the road was not an insurgent but a Canadian...now an extremely scared and pissed off Canadian....lets just say, i was not allowed to drive for sometime "wifes orders", i did appoligize to the guy but he did'nt understand, hell i did'nt understand... and just took off glad to be away from that asshole...meaning me....

I went to see the health clinic...and was told i did not have PTSD, but rather readjustment problems....things did get better for me....even allowed to drive now but instead of forcing people off the road i just smile and say you lucky bastard....and in a few mths i'll have to do it all over again....My wife has already hidden my keys....

[Molly]

Words fail.

[Army Guy]

Oleg, Have you had a chance to see this soldier again, will he give you his info...please tell him it will be kept in confidence, and it won't cost him a thing....

[Shakeyhands]

Army Guy.. what is your MOC?

[Army Guy]

031 infanteer.

[BigAl]

Thanks, if this guy is who he claims then he is a brother in arms, and i'm sure any soldier serving would do the same thing...

Yes war does suck, and as long as there is war there will be PTSD and other mental health issues....every soldier is different, and reacts differently to the effects of war....but one thing is for sure, it will change everyone....with every tour you do....

But like they say time normally heals all wounds, or atleast allows you to live with those ghosts and nightmares....Problem with PTSD is that alot of soldiers still think it only effects the weak, and will not seek help as they allow thier pride to get in the way....And normally will not get help until thier lives come crashing down, marriages break up, abuse of drugs and drink, in debt...other problems....but once they seek help everything recovers...but it takes that crash for everything to get started....Because in thier minds only the weak get PTSD....

PTSD needs to be treated by a professional, time heals nothing....without help....and it can effect anyone, from the model soldier, to wifes and families of soldiers....

I had just got back from Afgan on my second tour, me and the wife were going to Sobbeys, I guy cuts me off, and in a milisecond i'm back in Afgan i down shift the car and speed up to ram his car.....well you can imagine the caus in the car, my wife is freaking out, my kids are screaming....they're not the only ones freaking out, i came within inches of this guys car, he pulled over....i screach to a halt in the middle of the road, get out of my car, and run over to the other drivers window, the whole time reaching for my side arm....i remember calling myself an idiot for forgetting my rifle....and when i can't find my side arm i start to panick....i turn to look back at the car....and my wife yelling at me...and everything became clear...i was not part of my LAV crew, in Afgan , i was back in petawawa, the car i had forced off the road was not an insurgent but a Canadian...now an extremely scared and pissed off Canadian....lets just say, i was not allowed to drive for sometime "wifes orders", i did appoligize to the guy but he did'nt understand, hell i did'nt understand... and just took off glad to be away from that asshole...meaning me....

I went to see the health clinic...and was told i did not have PTSD, but rather readjustment problems....things did get better for me....even allowed to drive now but instead of forcing people off the road i just smile and say you lucky bastard....and in a few mths i'll have to do it all over again....My wife has already hidden my keys....

Good lord. This is why I differentiate between politicians and soldiers. Whether or not I agree with the government or the conflict, I have to give the utmost respect for men like you who have to deal with these difficulties in the name of doing your job. For what it's worth, thanks for doing it.

[GostHacked]

To steal from the late great George Carlin.

WWI, shell shock

WWII, combat fatigue

Vietnam - Post traumatic stress syndrome.

Korea - Operational Exhaustion.

First Iraq invasion - Gulf War Syndrome.

When you say it like this you loose the human factor and less and less care or actually know what it is. This prevents people from understanding the issue enough so they can help.

Soldiers are missing legs, arms, eyes, crippled, mamed, mutilated, and that is just the physical ... try to even for a moment comprehend what these people go through in war. You take the humanity out of the equation and cleanse it with nice terms so you really don't understand what the real problem is. The package does not represent what is actually in the box.

There are reasons why you don't see dead soldiers mamed or lying on the streets on the mass media. War on TV is clean and neat when it is anything but. To show those kinds of pictures on this website is probably grounds for a banning of some sort. Which to me is the wrong idea. We need to see death. We need to see how these people are treated. All we get is a sanatized version of everything.

Army Guy provides us with a perfect example of this problem. These people need to be embraced, we need to take them in our arms and tell them that things are rough, but you DON"T have to do this alone. They are people, and they were used by the government. We need to help them so they not only don't feel used anymore, so they don't feel isolated or helpless. So they can get better. These soldiers .. OUR SOLDIERS need to know that they can get help. They have done us a favour by serving ... this is the absolute LEAST we can do to help.

There is a reason why the term 'War is Hell" and 'War, war never changes.' are used by those men and women over and over again. They go through hell only to come back to another different kind of hell.

[tango]

Thanks Oleg and Army Guy for giving us a perspective we often lack.

I watched a friend's eyes cloud over as he drifted into another world when I asked him about his service. It's an eerie thing, and you know that no matter how we try to honour and respect our soldiers, it cannot ever make up for the damage that is done to their psychological well being.

Is it worth it?

I really don't know.

I do know that Canada should be very careful about getting caught up in the US wars of aggression for oil. I think if North Americans really understood the toll it takes on soldiers, they would find other sources of energy pretty quick!

[Army Guy]

Is it worth it?

This is a question i've asked myself a thousand times, the answer always becomes clear when i return home, from overseas....Yes it is worth it, to step of that plane and see what our country has to offer ....We are very lucky to live in the nation we do, to have the freedoms we have, to still have our morals and values we deem Canadian, to have that feeling when taking those first few steps onto Canadian soil, it is hard to explain, excitement, elation, to see your family, to see Canadians and our flag flapping in the wind ...sadness for leaving comrads behind... and the other aquaintances you've made that are less fortunate than we are.... all rolled into one great ball of emotion...makes me proud to be a Canadian , it's an honor to serve our country to be a member of such an elite club of men and women...

I remember when i first seen that Vid clip of our comrads being escorted to toronto, making thier way to the conors office,in a long line of hearses it brought tears to my eyes, it brought up those same emotions once again....to see all those people lined up to pay thier respects to a soldiers they did not know personal....was... well a great Canadian moment for me....today there is serveral versions of this clip, each one tells a story, most soldiers i know have a copy of atleast one of them....and when times are tough we play them once more....

So when i'm asked is it worth it....Damn right it is... to wear our countries uniform, with the flag of Canada on my shoulder is an honor, and a privilage....to serve with fellow Canadians who are some of the best our country has to offer....a chance to represent the best country in the world....Ya it's worth it....

[Army Guy]

Army Guy provides us with a perfect example of this problem. These people need to be embraced, we need to take them in our arms and tell them that things are rough, but you DON"T have to do this alone. They are people, and they were used by the government. We need to help them so they not only don't feel used anymore, so they don't feel isolated or helpless. So they can get better. These soldiers .. OUR SOLDIERS need to know that they can get help. They have done us a favour by serving ... this is the absolute LEAST we can do to help.

I believe you have a good understanding what War is and a fair understanding of what it is like, and the problems that each soldier is faced with while there and on his return to our nation.....i do appreciate your caring about our well being and mental health....

But i just want to make a few things clear, Most soldiers don't feel used by our government, we understand our role that we play within our nation...we also fully understand the circumstances in which we are to serve our nation, that War and all that it entails will play a great part in our service....We also understand that sometimes the use of force is the only remaining polictical tool left in the tool box....Canada has a great record of using that tool with great care and thought...

Most missions we take have noble beginnings such as helping a nation stand up out of the ashes of 30 plus years of war...to assist thier military in destroying an enemy that only wants to enslave thier people, enforce thier religious belives thru death, and fear....

To most Canadians whom have never known war, and it's tragic outcomes it is hard to imagine why our nations soldiers would volunteer for this type of thing....Most soldiers have seen war and all of it's evil it brings, many times....and to be able to offer up the gift of peace, security, a chance to live normally is a honorable mission.... We are the men and women that stand the line, where they are to weak or just unable to stand up for themselfs....

I've told this story many times here, so bear with me....during my first tour in Afgan while on patrol i had the privilege of sharing my lunch with a very young Afgan girl, you see this girl had both her hands cut off, and her father was murdered in front of her....her only crime was going to school....A very tramactic event to say the least, one that would have shatter my dreams of an education forever....instead this little girl wanted nothing else but her education, to honor her father, to better herself, her family ...it was'nt until after that i thought if this little girl can have the courage to case her dream, after lossing both her hands, her father, and under constant death threats....

Then i could atleast have the courage, to play some little role in making sure her dreams become an reality....

And while each soldier has different reasons for being over here, not many of them feel they are being used by our government....we see it as a mission in which we can make a difference, albiet a small one in the grand scheme of things, but a difference none the less....politics aside,

Canadains need to ask themselfs Why is it our soldiers feel the way they do with this Afgan mission, could they be on to something ?....if they are willing to risk everything including thier lives....why do we dislike this mission so much ?....