They used to bring em back, after our arty blew em into pieces…pose with the bodies with a thumbs up and shiat. I never did it, I tried my best to take good fun pictures even though our lives sucked ass. We were mules, 19 and 20 year olds being slaved out into building and taking apart bunkers and sending 105mm arty shells into Pakistan back in 2003. They used to turn the prisoners over to the afghan militia forces (AMF). We trusted them at Shkin but not at Salerno FOB. They were back stabbers lol. They’d bring those guys alive back from Pakistan in the back of a Toyota Hilux truck (not allowed in us), with a hood over their head zip tied up. 19 years old seeing this stuff, or even slaving out for my sergeant who was a ranger wannabe was just utter shiat. NOW, the war is over in Afghanistan. I remember when my buddy Jared dies at 19. He bled to death in our cargo truck when it was turned into an ambulance after an ambush by a bunch of Chechen pieces of SHIAT. Big Russian mothafuckers. Now I’m schizo since 08, and I don’t always know what the hell to do.
Truthfully I sorta feel that some people gave all and the others took it. And that, my friends, just pisses me off.
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One of the reason things like ptsd seems more common in soldiers since the Korean and Vietnam war compared to the great world wars was the travel home. In the great wars the travel home would take months and months. The soldiers had nothing to do but talk. Mostly it was what they went through dealing with the issues of the war. In the case of the Korean, Vietnam and now most solders can be home resuming normal life in a matter of days.
In the case of the diagnosis of PTSD it wasn’t a diagnosed illness until the 80’s.Before that they use to just treat the anxiety and depression. In Australia one thing that the Vietnam Vets did notice was the impact the war had on their family. Because of this they fought a great battle to get our government to actually do something about it. A counselling service was created in all of our states funded by our government for all service men that served in armed conflict.
Among the programs which includes free counselling is things like anger and alcohol management as they are very related to life in the service. Alcohol for one is wildly used in the services to promote social and comradery. Primary use is to wind down after missions etc.
Since the great wars a club founded for service men and women that served during armed combat for much the same same reason.Mainly so they could open up to people who understand what they had to do and things they had seen. Although for many years services men of the vietnam war were excluded due to the political nature of that war but has been changed within the last few years.
While it may not help you not being an Australian. Sound very much like you could benefit from talking about what you have been through. It only takes one person to make a difference. So if something like that that doesn’t exist in the USA then why not start your own support group or the likes and see where it takes you.
The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river!
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