Sunday, February 03, 2008

Suicides In The Military

SUICIDES IN THE MILITARY

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/military.suicides/index.html?iref=mpstoryview


The increases in the number of military suicides is indicative of our society's breakdown. Our lives are full of false promises and false expectations. Not just by the president and the chain of command either. Many today join the armed forces not to sacrifice for the country but for a job or a promise of education or even for more money than one could make locally, in their own home town, military on the other hand makes promises of bonuses, secure job, and sometime taking care of one's family.

The job is more pressure full for a married soldier, or for one in a relationship, while you are "over there" making sacrifices your mate is back home demanding more goods, more goodies and more benefits, and yes sex. If you happen to be in a relationship where your partner was in to sex all the time you are not sure about their fidelity, this pressure alone is mind boggling, how can you trust the one you left behind. Divorces, break ups and dear Johns. Here you are, ruling the world at a gun point, while any instant your mate can tell you are not worth it and they are going to leave. Here you are breaking down doors at night and at will and there someone is sleeping in bed you are still making payments on and you can do nothing. At a deeper level, the cause of suicide in the services is not the pressure of the fight or the ugliness of war, it is being first told you are not worth it, and then being told by the military you are not worth saving, you are disoriented.

There you can  run over vehicles and suddenly back home you find yourself people trying to run you off the road or give you the finger and you just can't shoot them, your world is upside down. PTSD is just not the pressures of the war it is also trying to adjust to whatever you have left when it is over. People  coming back get in to all kinds of trouble trying to adjust to normal. When you are used to getting things your way and by  force it is very hard to get used to losing that power, no wonder so many soldiers also wish to go back to the war, there you have the POWER.

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