A casualty of war

[garyjd]

Yet another sad story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25588560/?GT1=43001/

Why a Purple Heart is not justified I don't know. This man is as much a casualty as someone wounded or killed on the frontlines. ~Gary

 

[Jamie Stokes]

a man in a moment

An ordinary guy, doing a good thing, during an extraordinary time.....

Military protocols about medal entitlments are beyond what I know. Having being photographed, well,that s a place in time thing.

Personally, I think that he would make a nice figure to be sculpted. It would be a pleasant change from square jawed soldiers, lookingserious, about to, or doing, some serious harm.

Would be a challenge to capture the human element.

As a pF newbie, a figure sculpt would be an apt tribute not only to him, but all those who put their lives on the line, trying to do good things during bad times.

My two cents worth.

Jamie

 

[IIICorps]

It is my understanding the Purple Heart is awarded for wounds/injuries while in action. An overdose at home would not meet that criteria.

 

[garyjd]

It is my understanding the Purple Heart is awarded for wounds/injuries while in action. An overdose at home would not meet that criteria.

I guess PTSD does not qualify as a wound then? If vets are collecting a disability from the VA for such maybe in some cases it should. I work for the USPS and see some vets collecting for trivial &$%* (most of which have never seen combat) and it makes me sick to see a combat vet dropped by the wayside. I guess it's just one more victim for the liar-in-chief. ~Gary

 

[Mongo Mel]

Gary,
With all due respect...
There is nothing in the report that mentions PTSD.
There is no mention if the prescriptions that the man overdosed with had any relationship to his service in the military or were for a completely unrelated medical or psychological condition.
There is no mention about whether the overdose has yet been determined to be either deliberate or accidental.
There was no mention of any other factors in his personal life that might have contributed to his overdose.

As for the "liar-in-chief" comment...
Whether one agrees or disagrees with that statement, I think that type of language is best saved for web forums other than this one.

Craig

 

[garyjd]

Craig,

Maybe this article sheds more light on this soldier. ~Gary

http://archives.thepilot.com/20080702photo.html

 

[Mongo Mel]

Hi Gary,
Thanks for the new link. Certainly sheds much more light on the story.

Whatever the reasons, it's a shame whenever anyone feels the need to try to mask their pain through chemical abuse, more so when it ends up costing them their life.

Please understand that my post was not meant to show any disrespect to the man.

It was more a gut level response to the assumption that he was "dropped by the wayside"
and assigning of blame with the "liar-in chief' comment.
I'm proud to live in a country that allows us all to openly voice opinions that disagree with our government.
Still, I feel that those types of comments and observations (either for or against our government and elected officials) don't belong on this site.

That said, I just checked the "Rules and Guidelines" thread...

http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22852

and I see that political discussion is not specifically mentioned anywhere as something to be avoided. It only says that discussions be kept polite and civil. My mistake and I stand corrected.
But I'm happy to see that we have been able to keep to those guidelines

Respectfully,
Craig

--EDIT---
One more thought...
I know that it's not my responsibility to police these threads.
And normally I would never think of sticking my nose in like this.
Again, it was just my own gut reaction to what I read.
My apologies.
Craig

 

[garyjd]

Craig, No problem. Though maybe I SHOULD leave out such comments I tend to get rattled by such news stories. ~Gary

 

[Mongo Mel]

Hi Gary,
Yeah, let's both keep to less volatile subjects in the future...
How about religion?
Cheers my friend,
Craig

 

[Kevin D.]

If I may add a little to this....

The whole discussion of whether the medal is appropriate in this type of case has valid arguements on both sides but...

Its not the combat alone that does this. Its being a medic. Choosing to do the job that sickens most and doing it over and over and over again. Doing the job in the military ups the stress multiple fold.

The medic that saved little Jesica ..... can't remember the last name... from the small well hole in the ground in the 70's lost his life in the same manner.

The divorce rate amongst civilian medics is easily as high as police and fire.

And, although I'd have to go back and find my source for this, EMS has the highest death per capita in the USA than police or Fire... only slightly higher but I think you get the point.

I speak from several years of experience and from working with men and women who cope in many ways (Mostly good ways!). The job has a few moments of fast and furious activity and it has a lifetime of small, constant stresses.

All of the men in my family have served long careers in the military except me. And yet, I hold my own in conversations with them because of my experiences right here in the good ole USA.

Please take note of the original article that Gary referenced and remember to say thank you to your neighbor who rides the ambulance, the community volunteer EMT or Paramedic, that sister of the guy you work with (who is with EMS), the fireman paramedic who does both...

My heart goes out to the family of that fine military medic. His family can take some solace in knowing he chose a life that , in various ways, touched many lives and saved some.

My condolonces!!!

(and my thanks for letting me briefly stick my nose into this thread)

Gary, thanks for the various links that you attach. They are often enjoyably educational and at times, very thought provoking.

K

 

[geaugan]

I happened to mention this discussion to my son. He is currently assigned to William Beaumont Army Hospital as a stress counselor. Dweyer was a patient there being treated for his PTSD but against medical recommendations he chose to leave. And yes, I agree, he is another casualty of war.

 

[Jeff]

Well what ever peoples feelings about the war are. I think we are letting our Vets down when it comes to heath care they are getting when they come home. The VA was an overloaded system before the war started . It is being crushed by the new Vets. Just one more thing that was not thought out before the War started.